3r 

CL 

..^f 

R5 

IE 
3 

* 

a 
-a 

^.^ 

IE 

*~^ 

*4 

Q_ 

1 

^w 

*Sj 

^ 

$ 

fc 

05 

<p 

c 

c* 

o 

bfl 

pj 

»ss 

Eh 

<t 

:> 

l=> 

o 

~o3 

^f 

fe 

E 

J5 

o 

M 

10 

■sS 

^* 

P4 

c/> 

& 

-4-* 
<*-* 

P4 

^2 

O 

-Q 

^l 

-a 

5g" 

% 

0) 

c 

<3 

a> 
CL 

Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/treatiseonbaptisOOshaf 


TREATISE  ON  BAPTISM, 


TWO   PARTS. 

PART   I.  — INFANT   BAPTISM. 
PART   II.  — THE    MODE. 


REV.  HIRAM  M.  SHAFFER. 


"  For  they  are  the  seed  of  the  Messed  of  the  Lord,  and  their 
offspring  with  them,"  Isa.  Ixv,  23. 

"And  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and 
heirs  according  to  the  promise,"  Gal.  iii,  29. 


CINCINNATI: 
PRINTED    FOR   THE   AUTHOR, 

AT  THE   METHODIST   BOOK    CONCERN,    CORNER 

OF     MAIN     AND     EIGHTH. 

R.  P.  Thompson,  Printer. 

1851. 


Entered  according  to  an  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847, 
by  Hiram  M.  Shaffer,  in  ths  Clerk's  Office  for  the  District 
Court  of  Ohio. 


CONTENTS. 


PART  I. 
INFANT   BAPTISM. 

CHAPTER   I. 

Objections  to  the  doctrine  of  infant  baptism  ex- 
amined— Express  command — Want  of  faith — What 
good  will  it  do  to  baptize  infants?     .     .     .     Page  11 

CHAPTER   II. 

First  Position:  God  had  a  Church  before  Christ 
came,  and  in  it  infants  were  recognized  as  membeTs. 
Second  Position:  The  Church  which  was  in  existence 
before  Christ  came  was  not  destroyed,  but  was  con- 
tinued down  into  the  Gospel  dispensation,  and  now 
constitutes  the  Christian  Church 33 

CHAPTER  III. 
It  was  a  Gospel  Church — The  name  would  be 
changed — Christ  shall  reign  on  David's  throne — Christ 
died  that  the  blessings  of  Abraham  might  come  to  the 
Gentiles — Parable  of  the  vineyard — The  house  and  par- 
tition wall — Olive  tree — Christ  was  a  minister  of  the 
Jewish  Church — For  this  Church  Christ  died — The 
gates  of  the  Jewish  Church  were  to  remain  open  to 
receive  Gentile  converts — A  prophetic  view  of  the 
Church  in  the  time  of  its  millennial  glory — Similarity 
of  expression  in  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament — 
One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism 42 


4  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Objections  to  the  foregoing:  1.  Mr.  Campbell's, 
from  Dan.  ii,  44 — 2.  I  will  build  my  Church — 3.  From 
Gal.  iv,  21-31:  Cast  out — 4.  If  children  are  Church 
members,  and  have  a  right  to  baptism,  they  should  be 
admitted  to  the  communion Page  75 

CHAPTER    V. 

Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me — Pros- 
elyte baptism — Example — Children  capable  of  entering 
into  covenant 85 

CHAPTER    VI. 
The  practice  of  the  apostles  in  baptizing  whole  fam- 
ilies— Lydia  and  her    household — The  jailer  and  all 
his — Children  in  a  state  of  justification 97 

CHAPTER   VII. 
No  controversy  on  infant  baptism  in  the  first  ages 
of  the  Church — History  of  infant  baptism.     .     .     105 


PART  II. 
MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

CHAPTER    I. 
Definition  of  bapto  and  baptizo 123 

CHAPTER   II. 

The  sense  in  which  the   Scriptures  use  the  word 
baptize 137 

CHAPTER   III. 
John's  baptism.  160 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Christ's  baptism Page  175 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  baptism  of  the  eunuch,  by  Philip,  Acts  viii.      184 

CHAPTER   VI. 

The  baptism  of  the  Israelites.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .19] 

CHAPTER   VII. 
On  Romans  vi,  and  Colossians  ii 198 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  baptism  on  the  day  of  Pentecost — The  baptism 
of  Cornelius — The  baptism  of  Paul — the  baptism  of 
the  jailer 217 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Immersion  impracticable  under  many  circum- 
stances— Congregation  going  to  the  water — A  change 
of  clothing — Immersion  compared  to  a  bank  bill.     234 

CHAPTER   X. 
The  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven,  and  in  the 
earth,  1  John  v,  7,  8 — Westminster  Assembly.     .    245 


INTRODUCTION. 


Having  had  several  public  discussions,  at 
different  points  in  northern  Ohio,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  baptism,  with  distinguished  advocates 
of  immersion,  our  friends  have  urged  us  to 
furnish  the  public  with  the  arguments  used  on 
those  occasions  in  the  form  of  a  book.  We 
have,  at  last,  consented  to  do  so.  The  argu- 
ments we  present  with  entire  confidence,  hav- 
ing laid  them  before  learned  and  talented  op- 
posers  a  number  of  times,  for  their  scrutiny 
and  criticism.  This  work  will  present  the 
arguments  on  infant  baptism,  and  the  mode, 
in  a  consecutive,  though  very  brief  form,  so 
that  the  reader  may  have  the  whole  subject 
before  him  without  wading  through  much  read- 
ing.  It  will,  also,  be  useful  by  way  of  refer- 
ence, as  it  contains  the  principal  testimony 
used  in  the  discussion  of  this  subject.  This 
work  has  been  prepared  amidst  the  many  and 
pressing  duties  assigned  us  by  the  Church: 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

it  is  offered  to  the  public  with  reluctance.  Be- 
lieving it  may  aid  in  settling  the  minds  of  some 
who  are  seeking  for  truth  on  this  subject,  we 
are  induced  to  publish  it. 

Hiram  M.  Shaffer. 
Wooster,  0.,  Oct.,  1846. 


PART  I 


INFANT  BAPTISM. 
> 


CHAPTER  I. 

Objections  to  the  Doctrine  of  Infant  Baptism  Exam- 
ined— Express  Command — The  Want  of  Faith — Wftat 
Good  will  it  do  to  Baptize  Infants'! 

Before  a  superstructure  is  reared,  it  is  ne- 
cessary to  clear  away  the  rubbish,  and  lay  the 
foundation;  therefore,  we  will  examine  the 
objections  to  the  doctrine  of   infant  baptism. 

The  first  which  we  will  notice,  raised  by 
the  Baptist,  is  the  following:  (By  the  term 
"Baptist,"  we  mean  all  those  sects  that  op- 
pose infant  baptism,  and  practice  immersion 
exclusively :) 

"  That  if  the  Savior  and  his  apostles  had 
designed  to  teach  the  doctrine  of  infant  bap- 
tism, they  would  have  given  an  express,  or  pos- 
itive command ;  but  as  they  have  not  thus 
expressly,  or  positively  commanded  it,  we  take 
it  for  granted  they  did  not  intend  to  teach  it; 
therefore,  infants  are  not  proper  subjects  of 
baptism." 

Let  us  examine  this  objection.  "  Express,9'* 
or  "positive,"  is  opposed  to  inference,  anal- 


12  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

ogy,  or  implication.  It  must  be  stated  plainly : 
as,  they  were  "  baptized,  both  men  and  wo- 
men," at  Samaria,  by  Philip. 

This  is  positive,  or  express.  We  do  not 
arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  men  and  women 
were  baptized  on  that  occasion  by  a  course  of 
reasoning,  analogy,  or  inference  ;  but  men  and 
women  are  expressly  mentioned. 

If  we  are  to  be  governed  by  this  principle, 
it  would  destroy  the  Christian  Church.  That 
is,  if  we  are  not  to  believe  and  practice  any 
thing,  but  what  is  expressly  or  positively  men- 
tioned in  the  New  Testament,  it  would  throw 
female  communion,  the  Christian  Sabbath, 
family  prayer,  as  well  as  infant  baptism,  out 
of  the  Church. 

First.  In  reference  to  female  communion, 
we  would  ask  the  question,  Where  is  an  ex- 
press, or  positive  precept,  or  command  for 
female  communion?  This  cannot  be  found  in 
the  Bible  Do  not  understand  us  as  opposing 
it ,  for  we  believe  it  right  that  women  should 
partake  of  the  symbols  of  the  broken  body  and 
shed  blood  of  the  Savior.  But  we  arrive  at 
this  conclusion  by  inference  and  analogy. 
Surely  they  can  have  no  objection,  should  we, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  13 

in  the  same  way,  more  clearly  prove  infant 
baptism. 

It  is  acknowledged  by  every  branch  of  the 
Baptist  Church  that  women  should  be  admit- 
ted to  the  Lord's  table.  But  on  what  grounds  1 
On  inferential  testimony.  In  this  we  see  a 
great  inconsistency.  There  are  two  sacra- 
ments in  the  Church,  baptism  and  the  euchar- 
ist — doubtless  of  equal  solemnity  and  impor- 
tance. They  admit  to  the  one  women  upon 
inferential  testimony ;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
they  reject  infants  from  the  other,  though 
coming  with  the  same  kind  of  evidence,  and 
call  aloud  for  an  express,  or  a  positive  com- 
mand. This,  we  think,  is  an  inconsistency 
which  would  be  difficult  to  reconcile. 

Being  pressed  with  this  argument,  they  try 
to  find  an  express  command  for  female  com- 
munion. They  generally  bring  forward  Acts 
ii,  46 :  "  And  they,  continuing  daily  with  one 
accord  in  the  temple,  and  breaking  bread  from 
house  to  house,  did  eat  their  meat  with  glad- 
ness and  singleness  of  heart."  They  say  the 
personal  pronoun  "they"  refers  back  to  Acts 
i,  14 :  "  These  all  continued  with  one  accord  in 
prayer  and  supplication,  with  the  women,  and 


14  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  the  breth- 
ren." They  infer  the  phrase,  "  breaking  of 
bread,"  means  the  Lord's  supper,  and  in  this 
way  make  out  a  positive  precept  for  female 
communion  !  Admitting  they  are  correct,  is  it 
not  wholly  inference  after  all?  But  there  is 
no  doubt  they  are  incorrect  in  their  inference 
that  the  "  breaking  of  bread  "  spoken  of  there 
means  the  Lord's  supper.  After  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ,  and  before  he  was  made  known 
to  his  disciples,  two  of  them  were  going  to 
Emmaus ;  the  Savior  fell  in  company  with  them, 
and  when  they  arrived  at  the  place  where  they 
had  intended  to  tarry  for  the  night,  they  pressed 
him  to  tarry  with  them ;  he  went  in  and  sat 
down  to  "  meat  with  them  ;"  he  took  bread  and 
blessed  it,  and  broke,  and  gave  it  to  them; 
and  their  eyes  were  opened,  and  they  knew 
him,  and  he  vanished  out  of  sight.  And  they 
told  what  things  were  done  in  the  way,  and 
how  he  was  known  of  them  in  the  "break- 
ing of  bread,"  Luke  xxiv,  30-35.  Here  the 
"breaking  of  bread"  has  reference  to  a  common 
meal,  or  a  supper,  which  they  sat  down  to  eat. 
Mr.  Boothe  says,  "  Does  not  Paul,  when  he 
says,  ■  Let  a  man  examine  himself,  and  so  let 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  15 

him  eat,'  enjoin  a  reception  of  the  sacred  sup- 
per ?  Does  not  the  man,  (a^porto?,)  Anthropos, 
there  used,  often  stand  as  a  name  of  our  spe- 
cies, without  regard  to  sex  ?"  True.  But 
does  it  always  1  By  no  means.  For  instance, 
"And  Abimelech  charged  all  his  people,  say- 
ing, He  that  toucheth  this  man,  (ai£po7tot>,)  or 
his  vjife,  shall  surely  be  put  to  death,"  Gen. 
xxvi,  11  ;  "For  this  cause  shall  a  man  (cu£pw- 
7toi)  leave  his  father  and  mother  and  cleave 
unto  his  wife,"  Matt,  xix,  5 ;  "And  their  faces 
were  as  the  faces  of  men,  (av§po7t<*vf)  and  they 
had  hair  as  the  hair  of  women,"  Rev.  ix,  7,  8. 
Numerous  other  instances  might  be  given  in 
which  the  word  ou^pa^o?  does  not  stand  for 
the  species,  but  to  distinguish  the  sexes.  Be- 
cause the  word  sometimes  stands  for  our  spe- 
cies, our  opponents  infer  that  it  does  here ; 
therefore,  they  bring  it  forward  as  a  positive 
command  for  female  communion. 

Mr.  Campbell  tries  to  make  out  a  positive 
precept  for  female  communion  from  1  Cor.  xi, 
26.  He  says,  "  In  the  first  seventeen  verses 
the  word  avrjp  (aner)  man  occurs  fourteen  times, 
and  the  word  ywri  (gune)  woman,  sixteen  times ; 
and  in  the  16th  verse,  the  word  rtj  (tis)  is  used, 


16  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

referring  to  both  genders."  And  then  says, 
"As  oft,"  says  the  apostle,  "as  ye,"  men  and 
women  of  whom  I  have  been  speaking,  "  eat 
this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show 
forth  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come." 

We  are  not  a  little  surprised  at  this.  A  man 
of  Mr.  Campbell's  erudition  to  advance  such 
a  weak  criticism  as  the  above  for  a  positive 
precept  for  female  communion  !  Read  the  16th 
verse,  "  But  if  any  man  (*t$)  seems  to  be  con- 
tentious, we  have  no  such  custom,  neither  the 
Church  of  God."  The  apostle  is  not  speak- 
ing of  communion  in  any  sense ;  but  of  men 
and  women  praying  or  preaching  in  the  church 
covered  or  uncovered.  Examine  the  forepart 
of  the  chapter.  But  he  wishes  to  make  the 
impression  that  the  word  ti$,  referring  to  both 
genders,  is  used  in  the  26th  verse.  Then 
says,  "  Show  ye  (men  and  women)  the  Lord's 
death  till  he  come."  He  then  raises  the  shout 
of  victory,  and  says,  "  Here,  then,  is  a  posi- 
tive command  for  men  and  women  to  show 
forth  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come." 

The  word  (tis)  is  not  used  in  the  26th  verse. 
It  reads  as  follows:  "For  as  often  as  ye  eat 
this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  17 

Lord's  death  till  he  come."  From  this  text 
nothing  can  be  gained  to  show  that  reference 
is  had  to  females;  and  as  in  the  28th  verse 
cw&pwrfos  (man)  is  used,  and  we  have  seen  above 
that  this  word  is  sometimes  used  to  distinguish 
the  sexes,  the  inference  is  against  rather  than 
in  favor  of  female  communion.  Hence  Mr. 
Campbell's  criticism  is  a  total  failure.  And 
the  fact  that  Mr.  Campbell  has  introduced 
it  here  for  a  positive  command  for  female  com- 
munion, is  convincing  proof  that  there  is  no 
such  command  in  the  Bible. 

Secondly.  To  require  a  positive  command 
for  all  our  faith  and  practice  would  destroy  the 
Christian  Sabbath.  Where  is  the  positive 
command  to  change  the  seventh  day  of  the 
week  for  the  first?  It  is  not  in  the  Bible. 
Yet  our  opponents  believe  the  first  day  of  the 
week  to  be  the  Sabbath,  and  practice  accord- 
ingly. 

We  should  receive  that  objection  to  infant 
baptism  with  a  great  deal  of  caution,  which,  if 
it  were  carried  out  in  reference  to  the  Sabbath, 
would  destroy  it.  The  Church  cannot  exist 
without  the  Sabbath. 

Thirdly,  It  would  destroy  family  prayer. 
2 


18  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Where  is  the  express  command  that  you  should 
pray  in  your  family  ?  Yet  nearly  every  branch 
of  the  Protestant  Church  believes  it  to  be  a  duty 
enjoined  in  holy  Scriptures,  and  practice  ac- 
cordingly. Now,  if  infants  are  to  be  rejected 
from  baptism  for  the  want  of  an  express,  or 
positive  precept,  then  females  are  to  be  debar- 
red the  privilege  of  the  sacred  supper !  The 
first  day  of  the  week  is  not  to  be  observed  as 
the  holy  Sabbath  !  The  family  altar,  also,  must 
be  demolished !  Again  :  our  Baptist  brethren 
hold  to  the  doctrine  of  close  communion:  that 
is,  they  will  not  permit  members  of  other 
branches  of  the  Church,  however  pious,  to 
commune  with  them.  They  are  as  strenuous 
about  this  as  they  are  in  their  opposition  to 
infant  baptism.  But  where  in  the  Bible  is  the 
positive  command  for  this  ? 

They  give  it  as  a  reason  for  their  practice  in 
this  respect,  that  others  are  not  baptized.  They 
say  no  person  is  baptized  except  he  has  been 
immersed ;  and  even  that  immersion  is  not 
valid  except  it  has  been  performed  by  one  who 
has  been  immersed  himself:  without  baptism 
(legal  immersion)  you  do  not  belong  to  the 
Church  of  Christ ;  therefore,  the  Baptists  look 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  19 

on  all  other  professing  Christians,  so  far  as 
having  privileges  in  the  Church,  as  in  a  state 
of  heathenism,  and  not  belonging  to  the  Church 
of  Christ. 

If  this  position  is  correct,  it  can  be  very 
easily  shown  their  whole  Church  is  an  unbap- 
tized  one,  and  not  one  in  their  whole  com- 
munion has  ever  been  legally  baptized  ! 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  Memoir  of 
Roger  Williams,  a  disaffected  Presbyterian  cler- 
gyman, who  established  the  first  Baptist  Church 
in  America,  published  by  James  D.  Knowles, 
Professor  of  Pastoral  Duties  in  the  Newton 
Theological  Institution.  "  One  of  the  first 
causes  of  disturbance  between  Mr.  Williams 
and  the  infant  colony  was,  that  he  wished  them 
to  make  a  public  declaration  of  repentance  for 
having  communion  with  the  Churches  of  Eng- 
land, while  they  lived  there  ;  and  refused  to  join 
the  congregation  at  Boston,  till  they  should  do 
so,"  p.  46.  Again,  pp.  105-6,  "We  may  not 
unreasonably  suppose,  that  Mr.  Williams,  on 
further  study  of  the  Scriptures,  and  finding  that 
several  of  the  colonists  had  embraced  Baptist 
principles,  was  himself  convinced  that  he  had 
not  been  baptized.     He  accordingly  resolved  to 


20  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

obey  the  Savior's  command,  and  unite  in  3 
Church  with  such  persons  as  might  be  willing 
to  join  him.  A  difficulty  now  presented  itself. 
They  had  been  educated  in  the  Episcopal 
Church,  and  were  accustomed  to  regard  the 
clergy  with  respect,  as  the  only  legal  adminis- 
trators of  the  Christian  ordinances.  Mr.  Will- 
iams himself  strongly  felt  this  difficulty.  *  He 
had  not  himself  been  immersed;  and  it  seem- 
ed a  reasonable  conclusion,  that  he  could  not 
with  propriety  baptize  his  brethren,  till  he  had 
received  baptism.  The  most  obvious  expedi- 
ent in  their  circumstances  was  adopted.  Mr. 
Ezekiel  Holliman  was  selected  to  baptize  Mr. 
Williams,  who  then  baptized  the  administrator 
and  ten  others.  This  event  occurred  in  March 
1638.  Thus  was  formed  the  first  Baptist 
Church  in  America,  and  the  second,  as  it  is  sta- 
ted, in  the  British  empire." 

We  find  from  the  above,  that  the  first  ad- 
ministrator of  immersion  in  the  Baptist  Church 
in  the  United  States,  was  Ezekiel  Holliman,  a 
lay-member,  and  one  who  had  not  been  immers- 
ed himself.  If  that  baptism  were  good  then, 
surely  it  is  good  now.  That  is,  the  baptism  of 
a  lay-member,  and  one  who  has  not  been  im- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  21 

mersed.  If,  then,  the  baptism  of  a  lay-mem- 
ber, who  has  not  been  immersed  himself,  is  not 
legal  or  valid  baptism,  as  our  Baptist  brethren 
aver,  then  the  whole  Baptist  Church  is  with- 
out valid  baptism  until  this  day  ! 

The  only  effort  to  evade  the  force  of  this 
conclusion,  that  we  have  seen,  that  deserves 
attention,  is,  "  That  Baptist  ministers  from 
Wales,  and  other  places,  that  were  in  the  regu- 
lar line  of  immersion  succession,  have  emigra- 
ted to  this  country,  and  have  baptized  many 
ministers  and  others,  and  of  course  all  who 
have  been  baptized  by  them,  have  received  a 
regular  and  valid  baptism." 

If,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  we  should 
admit  the  correctness  of  all  this,  it  would  but 
partially,  if  at  all,  relieve  the  difficulty.  For, 
if  we  should  demand  of  the  Baptists,  indi- 
vidually, to  show  the  soundness  of  their  bap- 
tism, by  tracing  to  this,  so  called,  valid 
source,  in  the  case  of  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hun- 
dred, it  would  prove  a  perfect  failure.  And 
they  would  have  to  satisfy  themselves  by  grave- 
ly inferring  that  such  was  the  fact  in  the  case — 
that  they  had  received  a  valid  baptism. 

In  reference  to  an  epcpress,  or  positive  pre- 


22  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

cept,  we  may  have  as  clear,  and  as  convincing 
evidence  of  some  truths,  by  inference,  analogy, 
or  implication,  as  we  possibly  can  by  express, 
or  positive  declaration.  For  instance,  the 
Scriptures  nowhere  say  there  are  a  first  and 
second  heaven ;  but  we  know  certainly  there 
are.  How  do  we  know  it?  By  inference. 
Paul  says  he  was  caught  up  to  the  third  heav- 
ens. There  must  be  a  first  and  second,  or 
there  could  not  be  a  third.  We  know  there 
was  an  outer  prison  at  Philippi,  though  the 
Scriptures  do  not  assert  the  fact.  They  inform 
us  that  Paul  and  Silas  were  thrust  into  the  in- 
ner prison.  There  must  be  an  outer  prison, 
before  there  could  be  an  inner  one. 

Does  God  generally  employ  an  express,  or 
positive  manner  in  his  communication  to  the 
children  of  men  ?  By  no  means.  Look  at  the 
prophecies !  Look  at  the  dark  sayings  of  Da- 
vid's harp  !  Look  at  the  instructions  of  our  Sa- 
vior !  He  spake  in  parables  to  the  people.  Pe- 
ter, when  on  the  house-top  at  Joppa,  fell  into  a 
trance  and  saw  a  sheet  let  down  from  heaven  full 
of  animals  and  fowls.  He  was  commanded  to 
kill  and  eat.  He  was  taught  to  interpret  this  vis- 
ion that  he  should  go  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  23 

the  Gentiles.  But  we  think  there  is  an  express 
command  for  infant  baptism  in  Matt,  xxviii,  19 : 
"Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  ^a^tsvaatt,  math- 
eteusatc,  disciple)  all  nations,  baptizing  them," 
&c.  As  infants  constitute  a  part  of  nations, 
therefore,  they  are  to  be  discipled  by  baptism, 
and  afterwards,  as  they  are  capable,  taught  all 
things,  as  Christ  commanded.  That  matheteu- 
sate  means  to  disciple,  no  scholar  will  deny. 
Christ's  Church  is  a  school — Christ  the  Mas- 
ter— the  apostles  and  ministers  the  under-teach- 
ers,  and  Christians  the  disciples,  or  scholars,  to- 
gether with  their  infants,  who  are,  at  a  very  early 
age,  capable  of  being  taught  the  first  rudiments 
of  Christianity.  Hence  the  command,  "Bring 
up  your  children  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord." 

But  the  command  is  to  disciple  {navta,  panta) 
all  (c£v?7,  ethne)  nations.  The  definition  of 
panta  is,  altogether,  totally,  entirely,  &c. 
And  ethna,  nations,  people,  tribes,  &c.  Hence, 
Go  ye,  therefore,  and  disciple,  altogether,  total- 
ly, or  entirely,  the  nations,  people,  or  tribes 
of  men,  baptizing  them  (nations.)  The  word 
autous,  tliem,  is  a  definite  pronoun,  referring  to 


24  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

nations,  which  includes  every  human  being  on 
the  earth.  This  sense  is  corroborated  by 
Mark  xvi,  15 :  «  Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature."  Now, 
as  far  as  the  command  to  disciple  extends,  the 
command  to  baptize  reaches  ;  and  both  are  ex- 
tensive with  human  population,  irrespective  of 
age  or  sex.  Hence,  parents  and  children  are 
commanded  to  be  discipled  and  baptized. 

The  second  objection  is,  the  want  of  faith. 
Our  opponents  say,  "  The  law  of  baptism  re- 
quires faith  and  repentance  in  the  subject,  and 
as  infants  cannot  repent  and  exercise  faith,  they 
should  not  be  baptized."  This  is  the  princi- 
pal objection  to  infant  baptism ;  and  to  many 
it  appears  to  be  a  weighty  one. 

The  Scriptures  generally  relied  upon  to  sus- 
tain the  above  objections,  are,  "  He  that  believ- 
eth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he  that 
believeth  not  shall  be  damned,"  Mark  xvi,  16. 
"  If  thou  belie  vest  with  all  thy  heart,  thou  may- 
est,"  Acts  viii,  37.  This  was  spoken  to  the 
Ethiopian  eunuch — an  adult.  We  will  state 
the  question  in  form : 

"The  Scriptures  require  faith  and  repent- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  25 

ance,  as  prerequisites  to  baptism;  but  infants 
cannot  believe  and  repent ;  therefore,  they  are 
not  proper  subjects  of  Christian  baptism." 

We  would  ask  the  question,  of  whom  do  the 
Scriptures  require  faith  and  repentance  ?  All 
must  admit,  of  adults.  Then  the  Scriptures 
require  faith  and  repentance  of  adults,  as  pre- 
requisites of  baptism,  and  not  of  infants. 

The  sophism  of  the  above  syllogism  is  plain. 
The  error  lies  in  bringing  infants  in  the  second 
or  minor  proposition,  when  they  are  not,  nor 
cannot,  by  the  Scriptures,  be  brought  into  the 
first,  or  major  proposition.  For  the  Scriptures 
nowhere  make  such  requisitions  of  infants. 

We  will  now  examine  the  principal  text  re- 
lied upon,  which  is,  "  He  that  believeth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved  ;  but  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned."  This  text  has  exclu- 
sive reference  to  adults.  I  will  state  it  in  form : 
He  (the  adult)  that  believeth  and  is  baptized 
shall  be  saved ;  but  some  adults  will  not  be- 
lieve ;  therefore,  the  unbelieving  adult  shall  not 
be  baptized,  or  saved.  This  exhibits  the  text 
in  its  true  light. 

To  make  this  sophism  still  plainer,  I  will 
state  it  as  our  opponents  do,  namely  :    "He 


26  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

(the  adult)  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved;  but  some  adults  will  not  believe; 
therefore,  infants  shall  not  be  baptized." 

You  may  now  see  the  sophism  more  plainly. 
It  consists  in  placing  infants  in  the  conclusion, 
when  they  are  not  in  the  premises.  There 
should  not  be  more  in  conclusion  than  in  the 
premises,  because  the  conclusion  is  always 
drawn  from  the  premises. 

Look  at  this  text  again  :  "  He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved."  This  baptism 
may  have  taken  place  when  the  person  was  an 
infant.  It  does  not  say,  he  that  believeth  and 
will  be  baptized,  but  « is  baptized."  This 
shows  past  time.  For  instance,  the  man  is 
dead.  When  did  he  die?  Seventy  years  ago. 
Christ  is  risen  from  the  dead.  That  took  place 
above  eighteen  hundred  years  ago.  The  man 
is  baptized.  When  was  he  baptized  1  When 
he  was  an  infant. 

The  Greek  text  more  clearly  shows  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  above  view;  it  is,  Bcwttfuy^ets  (bap- 
tistheis)  the  1.  aorist  participle  of  the  passive 
voice,  and  a  literal  rendering  would  be,  having 
been  baptized.  But  our  opponents  say,  the 
first  member  of  the  sentence,  "  believeth,"  is, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  27 

also,  a  participle,  and  denotes  past  time.  But 
it  is  the  1.  aorist  participle  of  the  active  voice. 

"O  rttctsvaas   xo,v  fia.7t-t  testis    tfw^fffz'at— -he    that 

believeth  and  having  been  baptized  shall  be 
saved  ;"  for  "  an  article,  with  a  participle,  must 
be  translated  by  the  relative  and  indicative,  as, 
O  eqx*>P'Gvos — ne  tnat  cometh."  (See  Valpy's 
Greek  Grammar,  p.  185.)  It  is  evident  that  the 
translators  were  governed  by  this  rule.  "  He 
that  believeth:"  "that,"  is  the  relative;  and 
"believeth"  is  the  participle,  7tiefsvoas,  put  in 
the  indicative. 

But  has  the  baptism  spoken  of  here  any  ref- 
erence to  ivater  baptism  ? 

The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  bap- 
tism which  cleanses  and  purifies  the  soul  and 
prepares  it  for  salvation. 

As  this  is  the  principal  objection  to  infant 
baptism,  let  me  be  a  little  more  particular. 

Every  argument  that  opposes  an  evident 
truth,  and  supports  a  falsehood,  must  be  a  bad 
one.  The  argument  is  this :  "  There  are  some 
things  said  of  baptism  that  do  not  suit  the 
case  of  infants,  such  as  faith  and  repentance; 
therefore,  they  are  not  to  be  baptized." 

We  will  try  this  argument  on  infant  circum- 


28  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

cision,  which  is  an  evident  truth.  God  com- 
manded infants  to  be  circumcised.  This  is  not 
denied.  But  there  are  some  things  said  of  cir- 
cumcision that  do  not  suit,  or  agree  with  the 
case  of  infants.  Such  as,  "  circumcision,  a  seal 
of  the  righteousness  of  faith,"  Rom.  iv,  11; 
"  He  that  is  circumcised  is  a  debtor  to  do  the 
whole  law,"  Gal.  iii,  3;  "And  the  uncircum- 
cised  man-child,  whose  flesh  of  his  foreskin  is 
not  circumcised,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from 
his  people  ;  he  hath  broken  my  covenant,"  Gen. 
xvii,  14. 

Here  are  several  things  said  of  circumcision, 
that  do  not  agree  with  the  condition  of  infants 
any  more  than  faith  and  repentance ;  such  as, 
"  seal  of  the  righteousness  of  faith"  "  debtor 
to  do  the  whole  law"  "  hath  broken  my  cove- 
nant." 

We  might  ask  the  questions:  Can  a  child  have 
righteousness  ?  Can  an  infant  become  a  debtor 
to  the  whole  law  ?  And  can  a  young  child,  only 
eight  days  old,  break  God's  covenant  ?  There 
cannot  be  an  objection  urged  against  infant  bap- 
tism, but  what  might  have  been  urged  against 
infant  circumcision  by  the  unbelieving  Jew. 

We  will  try  the  argument  on  the  baptism  of 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  29 

Christ.  This  is  an  evident  truth,  for  it  was 
performed  by  his  own  request.  There  are 
some  things  said  of  baptism,  and  especially  that 
of  John's,  that  do  not  agree  with  the  case  of 
Christ.  John's  baptism  was  a  "  baptism  unto 
repentance"  Had  Christ  faith?  Did  he  re- 
pent of  sin  ?  He  was,  and  is,  the  great  Author 
of  faith ;  therefore,  he  could  not  exercise  that 
faith  which  is  required  of  sinful  man.  Could 
Christ  repent?  This  would  presuppose  he 
was  a  sinner.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  there 
are  some  things  said  of  Christ's  baptism,  that 
no  more  agree  with  it  than  the  baptism  of  in- 
fants, such  as  faith  and  repentance.  To  avoid 
this  difficulty,  our  opponents  say,  "  Christ  was 
baptized  for  our  example."  This  will  not  re- 
lieve them.  For  if  that  were  the  case,  we 
then  would  have  the  example  of  one  incapable 
of  faith  and  repentance.  What  better  example 
could  we  have  for  infant  baptism  ?  We  do  not 
believe  that  the  baptism  of  our  Savior  was 
the  Christian  baptism ;  but  as  our  opponents 
do,  the  above  is  intended  as  an  argumentum 
ad  hominem. 

We  will  now  try  the  objection  on  the  salva- 
tion of  infants.     This  is  a  truth  admitted  bv 


30  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

all.  If  we  are  to  reject  infants  from  baptism 
because  they  cannot  believe,  we  must  reject 
them  from  salvation  for  the  same  reason  :  "  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved, 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned."  If 
the  argument  is  good  in  reference  to  the  first 
part  of  this  text,  it  must  be  good  on  the  latter 
clause.  This  would  necessarily  damn  all  lit- 
tle children  dying  in  a  state  of  infancy,  as  they 
cannot  believe! 

We  will  now  state  it  in  syllogistic  form: 
"  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved ;  but  infants  cannot  believe ;  therefore, 
infants  shall  not  be  baptized."  Well,  we  will 
try  it  on  the  latter  clause  :  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned;  but  infants  cannot  be- 
lieve ;  therefore,  infants  shall  be  damned ! 

Two  of  the  gentlemen  with  whom  we  have 
discussed  this  subject,  one  a  Disciple,  and  the 
other  a  regular  Baptist,  being  pressed  with 
this  view  of  the  subject,  publicly  advocated 
the  doctrine,  "  that  if  infants  were  ever  saved, 
they  were  saved  by  some  other  system  than 
the  Gospel"  This  was  the  reason  that  led 
to  the  formation  of  the  first  society  that  op- 
posed infant  baptism,  which  was  formed,  ac- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  31 

cording  to  Dr.  Wall,  in  A.  D.  1130,  among 
the  Waldenses.  They  declared  that  infants 
were  incapable  of  salvation !  He  that  be- 
lieveth  not  shall  be  damned  :  infants  could  not 
believe,  therefore,  they  must  be  damned.  They 
accordingly  came  to  the  conclusion  it  was 
wrong  to  baptize  them.  That  objection  to  in- 
fant baptism,  which  would  necessarily  damn 
all  little  children  dying  in  a  state  of  infancy, 
should  be  rejected  at  once. 

The  third  objection,  "What  good  will  it  do 
to  sprinkle  a  little  water  in  the  face  of  an  in- 
fant?" We  might  ask  the  question,  What 
good  will  it  do  to  baptize  any  man,  woman,  or 
child,  either  by  sprinkling,  pouring,  or  immer- 
sion ?  No  person  can  see  any  good  in  it,  ex- 
cept it  is  to  obey  the  injunction  of  Heaven. 
Baptism  is  administered  to  fulfill  the  will,  or  de- 
sign of  God,  not  that  we  can  see  any  advan- 
tage in  it.  Infant  baptism  must  rest  on  the 
same  foundation.  Infants  are  to  be  baptized 
because  it  is  the  design  of  God  that  they  should 
be,  or  they  are  to  be  rejected,  because  it  was 
not  the  design  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church 
that  they  should  be  baptized. 

The  fourth  objection:  "It  takes  away  the 


32  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

liberty  of  the  child ;  for  when  it  arrives  at 
mature  age,  it  may  not  choose  to  be  baptized 
in  the  same  way.  The  little  infant  cannot  be 
conscious  of  i£."  What  would  have  been 
said  of  a  Jew  who  would  have  said  so  of  cir- 
cumcision !  "What  does  the  child  know  about 
it?  And  when  he  grows  up  he  may  not  choose 
to  be  circumcised ;  and  by  doing  so,  you  are 
taking  away  his  liberty."  He  would  have 
been  called  an  infidel,  or  heathen,  and  perfectly 
destitute  of  every  attribute  of  a  Jew,  and  un- 
worthy of  the  congregation  of  the  Lord. 

We  think  there  cannot  be  an  objection 
arrayed  against  the  doctrine  of  infant  baptism, 
but  what  may  be  classed  under  some  one  of 
the  above  objections  which  we  have  examined. 
It  is  very  evident  none  of  them  have  any 
merit,  but  are  mere  sophisms ;  therefore,  can- 
not be  brought  to  bear  against  any  testimony,  or 
arguments  that  may  be  adduced  to  establish  the 
doctrine  of  infant  baptism.  Having  thus  cleared 
away  the  rubbish,  by  removing  the  objections 
to  infant  baptism,  we  will  now  proceed  to  raise 
the  superstructure,  by  presenting  some  argu- 
ments in  its  favor. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  33 

CHAPTER  II. 

First  Position  :  God  had  a  Church  before  Christ  came, 
and  in  it  infants  were  recognized  as  members.  Second 
Position:  The  Church  which  was  before  Christ  came  was 
not  destroyed,  but  was  continued  down  into  the  Gospel 
dispensation,  and  now  constitutes  the  Christian  Church. 

If  we  shall  sustain  these  positions,  we  will 
have  proved  this  fact,  namely,  that  infants 
were  once  proper  members  of  the  Church  of 
God ;  and  if  the  present  Church  is  but  a  con- 
tinuation of  the  Jewish,  or  the  same  Church 
under  the  Gospel  dispensation,  we  have  another 
fact,  that  infants  are  proper  members  of  the 
Church  now.  If  so,  they  are  to  be  baptized, 
because  they  are  members,  or  to  recognize 
them  as  such,  or  to  constitute  them  members. 
Perhaps  in  both  cases;  for,  1.  The  children 
of  Christian  parents,  like  those  of  Jewish, 
were  born  in  the  Church.  They  are  then  to 
be  baptized  because  they  are  members  of  the 
Church,  and  of  course  would  have  a  right  to 
the  Christian  name.  2.  The  children  of  hea- 
then parents,  who  are  born  without  the  pale  of 
the  Church;  but  when  their  parents  shall  em- 
brace the  Christian  faith,  are  to  be  baptized 
to  constitute  them  members  of  the  Church. 
3 


34  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

This  must  be  the  irresistible  conclusion,  ex- 
cept our  opponents  can  show  that  infant  mem- 
bership has  been  set  aside  or  abolished. 

As  the  argument  turns  on  these  points,  we 
will  now  proceed  to  establish  the  first  position, 
namely,  God  had  a  Church  before  Christ 
came,  which  recognized  infants  as  members. 
Stephen,  just  before  he  was  stoned,  said  oi 
Moses,  "  This  is  he  that  was  in  the  Church 
in  the  wilderness  with  the  angel  which  spake 
to  him  in  the  mount  Sina,  and  with  our  fathers, 
who  received  the  lively  oracles  to  give  unto 
us,"  Acts  vii,  38.  This  clearly  shows  there 
was  a  Church  as  far  back  as  Moses ;  and, 
doubtless,  as  far  back  as  Adam,  God  had  a 
Church.  It  was  rendered  visible  in  the  fam- 
ily of  Abraham  by  the  rite  of  circumcision. 
(See  the  xii,  xv,  xvii  and  xxii  of  Genesis.) 
The  word  txxx^ia,  (ekklesia,)  used  by  Ste- 
phen, translated  Church,  which  is  frequently 
used  in  the  Septuagint  translation  :  for  instance, 
Deut.  ix,  10  ;  Judges  xxi,  5;  Joshua  viii,  35, 
and  in  many  places  in  the  book  of  Psalms. 
The  word  Church  originally  was  derived  from 
Kvptot;  otxoj,  (Kyriou  oikos,)  house  of  the  Lord, 
which  was  applied  to  any  house  dedicated  to 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  35 

the  worship  of  God.  In  process  of  time  these 
words  became  contracted  into  Kyrioik  and 
Kyriake.  In  the  northern  part  of  Europe  it 
underwent  another  contraction.  The  Scotch 
called  it  Kirk,  the  Germans  Kirche,  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  called  it  Ciric  Kirick,  the  Low  Dutch 
Kerk.  But  the  Greek  word  used  b}'  the 
Apostles,  is  exx7.7i<sca  (ekklesia,)  which  is  de- 
rived from  txxateio,  (ekkaleo,)  to  call  oat,  or 
from — a  people  called  out,  or  from  the  com- 
mon mass  of  mankind  to  the  worship  of  God, 
where  the  word  is  preached,  and  the  sacra- 
ments are  duly  administered.  Abraham  was 
thus  called  out,  who  is  represented  as  the  father 
of  the  faithful. 

We  are  met  here  with  the  following  objec- 
tion :  namely,  "  The  word  '  ekklesia'  is  used  in 
Acts  xix,  32,  also,  39,  in  reference  to  an  un- 
lawful assembly;  therefore,  there  was  no 
Church  in  the  wilderness."  We  might  with 
equal  propriety  say  the  word  "ekklesia"  is 
used  in  the  above  place  to  represent  a  mob,  or 
sn  unlawful  assembly  ;  therefore,  there  is  no 
Church  now.     Marvelous  logic  ! 

The  regular  Baptist  Church  contend  that 
"  God  had  no  Church  before  Christ's  and  John 


36  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

the  Baptist's  time."  This  was  the  position 
taken  in  debate  with  us  by  one  of  her  distin- 
guished champions.  If  this  position  is  correct, 
it  follows  that  all  the  high  priests,  with  all  the 
holy  prophets,  with  John  the  Baptist,  were 
heathens ;  for,  where  there  is  no  Church,  the 
people  are  in  a  state  of  heathenism. 

The  covenant  which  God  made  with  Abra- 
ham, as  recorded  in  the  seventeenth  chapter  of 
Genesis  :  "As  for  me,  behold  my  covenant  is 
with  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  father  of  many 
nations.  Neither  shall  thy  name  any  more  be 
called  Abram,  but  thy  name  shall  be  Abra- 
ham ;  for  a  father  of  many  nations  have  I  made 
thee.  And  I  will  make  thee  exceeding  fruit- 
ful, and  I  will  make  nations  of  thee ;  and  kings 
shall  come  out  of  thee.  And  I  will  establish 
my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  thy 
seed  after  thee,  in  their  generations,  for  an 
everlasting  covenant ;  to  be  a  God  unto  thee, 
and  to  thy  seed  after  thee.  And  I  will  give 
unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee,  the  land 
wherein  thou  art  a  stranger,  all  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, for  an  everlasting  possession ;  and  I  will 
be  their  God.  And  God  said  unto  Abraham, 
Thou  shalt  keep  my  covenant  therefore,  thou, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  37 

and  thy  seed  after  thee,  in  their  generations. 
This  is  my  covenant,  which  ye  shall  keep,  be- 
tween me  and  you,  and  thy  seed  after  thee ; 
Every  man-child  among  you  shall  be  circum- 
cised. And  ye  shall  circumcise  the  flesh  of 
your  foreskin;  and  it  shall  be  a  token  of  the 
covenant  betwixt  me  and  you.  And  he  that  is 
eight  days  old  shall  be  circumcised  among  you, 
every  man-child  in  your  generations,  he  that 
is  born  in  the  house,  or  bought  with  money  of 
any  stranger,  which  is  not  of  thy  seed.  He 
that  is  born  in  thy  house,  and  he  that  is  bought 
with  thy  money,  must  needs  be  circumcised : 
and  my  covenant  shall  be  in  your  flesh  for  an 
everlasting  covenant.  And  the  uncircumcised 
man-child,  whose  flesh  of  his  foreskin  is  not 
circumcised,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  his 
people  ;  he  hath  broken  my  covenant."  This 
covenant  is  the  grand  chart,  or  constitution  of 
the  Church  of  God.  This  constituted  Abra- 
ham the  father  of  all  them  that  believe,  and  the 
heir  of  the  world ;  and  was  to  be  an  everlast- 
ing covenant.  This  covenant  was  confirmed 
in  Christ,  and,  consequently,  will  continue  as 
long  as  there  shall  be  a  Church  on  earth.  For 
instance,  Paul  says,  "  And  this  I  say,  that  the 


38  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

covenant  that  was  confirmed  before  of  God  in 
Christ;  the  law,  which  was  four  hundred  and 
thirty  years  after,  cannot  disannul,  that  it 
should  make  the  promise  of  none  effect,"  Gal. 
iii,  17.  The  provisions  of  this  covenant 
secured  a  Church  state  to  Abraham  and  his 
infant  posterity  ;  and  as  this  was  confirmed  of 
God  in  Christ,  to  be  perpetuated  as  the  great 
constitution  of  the  Church  until  the  end  of 
time,  it  is,  therefore,  evident  a  Church  state  is 
secured  to  believing  parents  and  their  infant 
posterity ;  for,  "  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye 
Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the 
promise,"  Gal.  iii,  29. 

This  covenant  is  frequently  referred  to  by 
the  Scripture  as  the  covenant,  not  covenants. 
For  instance :  "  Ye  are  the  children  of  the 
prophets,  and  of  the  covenant,  which  God  made 
with  our  fathers,  saying  unto  Abraham,  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  be 
blessed,"  Acts  iii,  25.  Also,  Zacharias,  being 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  did  prophesy,  say- 
ing, "  To  perform  the  mercies  promised  to  our 
fathers,  and  to  remember  his  holy  covenant, 
the  oath  which  he  sware  to  our  father  Abra- 
ham," Luke  i,  72,  73.     Moses   says    to  the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  39 

children  of  Israel,  "  That  He  may  establish 
thee  to-day  for  a  people  unto  himself,  and  that 
he  may  be  unto  thee  a  God,  as  he  hath  said 
unto  thy  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob," 
Deut.  xxix,  13.  This  evidently  establishes 
the  fact,  that  God  had  a  Church  before  Christ 
came — a  people  called  out  to  worship  him — 
"a  people  unto  himself;"  as  he  has  said 
unto  Abraham,  in  the  great  constitution  of  the 
Church,  "  to  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and  thy 
seed  after  thee;"  "  this  is  my  covenant,  which 
ye  shall  keep,  between  me  and  you,  and  thy 
seed  after  you  ;  every  man-child  among  you 
shall  be  circumcised."  Thus  was  the  Church 
made  visible  in  the  family  of  Abraham  by  the 
sacrament  of  circumcision. 

We  are  met  here  by  our  opponents,  who 
say,  "  that  circumcision  is  only  a  national 
mark  to  distinguish  the  Jews  as  a  nation ;  and 
the  covenant  made  with  Abraham,  as  recorded 
in  the  seventeenth  of  Genesis,  of  which  cir- 
cumcision was  made  a  "  token  "  and  a  "  seal" 
has  no  religious,  or  spiritual  blessings  promised 
in  it ;  it  secured  only  temporal,  or  political 
privileges."  In  reference  to  circumcision  be- 
ing only  a  national  mark,  to  distinguish  the 


40  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

Jews  from  the  rest  of  mankind :  Abraham  was 
not  only  to  circumcise  himself  and  his  chil- 
dren;  but  all  those  that  were  "born  in  his 
house,  or  bought  with  his  money,  must  needs 
be  circumcised."  If  it  is  only  a  national 
mark,  what  nation  does  it  distinguish  ?  All 
the  descendants  of  Abraham,  with  all  those  that 
were  born  in  his  house,  or  bought  with  his 
money,  practiced  circumcision,  making  quite  a 
number  of  nations.  For  instance,  Ishmael  and 
his  posterity,  that  make  most  of  the  nations 
of  Arabia  and  Turkey ;  the  descendants  of  the 
six  sons  of  Keturah,  Abraham's  second  wife ; 
also,  Esau  and  his  descendants.  But  the 
Church  of  God  was  confined  to  the  descend- 
ants of  Jacob.  How,  then,  can  it  be  a  national 
mark?  Which  of  those  nations  does  it  dis- 
tinguish ? 

In  reference  to  the  covenant  with  Abraham 
securing  only  temporal  and  political  blessings, 
such  as  the  land  of  Canaan,  a  national  exist- 
ence under  a  theocratical  form  of  government : 
it  is  certain  temporal  and  political  blessings 
were  secured  in  that  covenant ;  but  God  said  to 
Abraham,  "  /  ivill  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and 
thy  seed  after  thee.11     Were  there  no  eccle- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  41 

siastical,  or  spiritual  blessings  promised  ?  Are 
we  to  consider  this  as  a  promise  that  God 
would,  in  the  general,  be  a  God  unto  them, 
and  that  it  secured  to  them  only  the  general 
blessings  of  his  providence,  such  as  furnish- 
ing them  with  meat,  drink,  and  clothing  ?  Then 
he  promised  nothing  more  to  Abraham  than 
what  he  had  promised,  in  the  administration 
of  his  government,  to  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  But  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  under- 
stood it  differently.  They  understood  it  as 
something  promised  to  Abraham's  particular 
posterity — something  more  than  the  common 
blessings  of  life ;  for  the  Lord  said  to  Jacob, 
at  the  time  when  he  changed  his  name  to  Is- 
rael, "  Be  fruitful  and  multiply  ;  a  nation  and 
a  company  of  nations  shall  be  of  thee,"  Gen. 
xxxv,  11.  That  covenant  secured  to  Abraham 
and  that  branch  of  his  posterity  which  inherited 
the  Church  state,  both  temporal  and  spiritual 
blessings,  just  what  is  secured  to  the  Church 
under  the  Gospel  dispensation,  namely:  "God- 
liness is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having  the 
promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  that  which 
is  to  come,"  1  Tim.  iv,  8.  The  first  position, 
we  think,  is  clearly  established :  that  is,  "God 


42  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

had  a  Church  before  Christ  came  ;  and  infants 
were  recognized  as  members  of  it."  We  will 
now  proceed  to  the  second,  which  will  be  the 
subject  of  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 

It  was  a  Gospel  Church — The  name  would  be  changed — 
Christ  shall  reign  on  David's  throne — Christ  died  that 
the  blessings  of  Abraham  might  come  to  the  Gentiles — 
Parable  of  the  vineyard — The  house  and  partition  wall — 
Olive  tree — Christ  was  a  minister  of  the  Jewish  Church — 
For  this  Church  Christ  died — The  gates  of  the  Jewish 
Church  were  to  remain  open  to  receive  Gentile  converts — 
A  prophetic  view  of  the  Church  in  the  time  of  its  millennial 
glory — Similarity  of  expression  in  the  Old  and  the  New 
Testament — One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism. 

The  second  position,  namely,  The  Church 
which  was  before  Christ  came,  was  not  de- 
stroyed, hut  was  continued  down  into  the 
Gospel  dispensation.  The  first  argument  we 
shall  adduce  is,  It  was  called  a  Gospel  Church. 
"  And  the  Scripture,  foreseeing  that  God  would 
justify  the  heathen  through  faith,  preached  be- 
fore the  Gospel  unto  Abraham,"  Gal.  iii,  8. 
Here  we  see  the  Church,  which  was  established 
in  the  family  of  Abraham,  was  a  Gospel  Church. 
Paul  says  to  his  Jewish   brethren,  "  For  unto 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  43 

us  (Jews)  was  the  Gospel  preached  as  well  as 
unto  them,  but  the  word  preached  did  not  profit 
them,  not  being  mixed  with  faith  in  them  that 
heard  it,"  Heb.  iv,  2.  It  is,  therefore,  evident, 
that  the  Church  which  was  in  Abraham's  fam- 
ily, and  the  Church  under  Moses  in  the  wilder- 
ness, was  a  Gospel  Church. 

The  name  of  this  Church  ivas  to  be  changed. 
"  And  the  Gentiles  shall  see  thy  righteousness, 
and  all  kings  thy  glory  ;  and  thou  shalt  be  call- 
ed by  a  new  name,  which  the  mouth  of  the 
Lord  shall  name,"  Isa.  lxii,  2.  "And  ye  shall 
leave  your  name  for  a  curse  unto  my  chosen : 
for  the  Lord  God  shall  slay  thee,  and  call  his 
servants  by  another  name"  Isa.  lxv,  15.  Here 
it  is  expressly  stated  His  Church  shall  be  called 
by  a  ^new  name"  and  "his  servants  by  an- 
other  name"  That  new  name  is,  Christian. 
Compare  this  prophecy  with  what  Luke  says 
of  the  Church  of  Antioch :  "And  it  came  to 
pass,  that  a  whole  year  they  assembled  them- 
selves with  the  Church,  and  taught  much  peo- 
ple. And  the  disciples  were  called  Christians 
first  in  Antioch,"  Acts  xi,  26. 

We  are  informed  by  prophecy,  that  Christ 
shall  reign  on  David's  throne.     "The  Lord 


44  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

hath  sworn  in  truth  unto  David;  he  will  not 
turn  from  it.  Of  the  fruit  of  thy  body  will  I 
set  upon  thy  throne,"  Ps.  cxxxii,  11.  "For 
unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given : 
and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder : 
and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Coun 
selor,  The  mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Fa- 
ther, The  Prince  of  Peace.  Of  the  increase  of 
his  government  and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end, 
upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  upon  his  king- 
dom, to  order  it,  and  to  establish  it  with  judg- 
ment and  justice  from  henceforth  even  forever," 
Isa.  ix,  6, 7.  "  David's  throne  and  kingdom" 
cannot  be  his  temporal,  or  political  throne  and 
kingdom.  That  long  since  has  crumbled  to  the 
dust.  The  Savior  laid  no  claims  to  worldly,  or 
political  honors.  "  My  kingdom,"  says  he, 
"  is  not  of  this  world."  What,  then,  are  we  to 
consider  its  meaning  ?  It  must  be  an  ecclesi- 
astical, or  spiritual  throne,  or  kingdom.  This 
agrees  with  the  annunciation  of  the  angel  Ga- 
briel to  Mary:  "And  behold,  thou  shalt  con- 
ceive in  thy  womb,  and  bring  forth  a  son,  and 
shalt  call  his  name  JESUS.  He  shall  be  great, 
and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Highest ;  and 
the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the  throne  of 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  45 

his  father  David.  And  he  shall  reign  over  the 
house  of  Jacob  for  ever ;  and  of  his  kingdom 
there  shall  be  no  end,"  Luke  i,  31-33.  The 
Savior  was  to  reign  as  a  King:  "A  King 
shall  reign  in  righteousness,"  Isa.  xxxii,  1. 
"  The  Lord  is  our  lawgiver  and  our  King," 
Isaiah  xxxiii,  23  ;  "  Creator  of  Israel  your 
King,"  Isa.  xlv,  15 ;  "  Rejoice  greatly,  O 
daughter  of  Zion ;  shout,  O  daughter  of  Jeru- 
salem :  behold,  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee," 
Zech.  ix,  9.  He  was  to  reign  over  the  house 
of  Israel  and  on  the  throne  of  David ;  conse- 
quently, his  kingdom  was  a  spiritual,  or  an  ec- 
clesiastical one ;  as  Peter  preached  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost:  " David,  being  a  prophet,  and 
knowing  that  God  had  sworn  with  an  oath  to 
him,  that  of  the  fruit  of  his  loins,  according  to 
the  flesh,  he  would  raise  up  Christ  to  sit  on  his 
throne,"  Acts  ii,  30.  He,  then,  is  to  reign  over 
Zion,  or  his  Church,  that  is,. the  Church  in  the 
Gospel  dispensation,  which  is  called,  "  Sitting 
on  the  throne  of  David,  and  reigning  over  the 
house  of  Jacob  for  ever.'''' 

Therefore,  it  is  evident,  that  the  throne  of 
David,  and  the  house  of  Jacob,  which  was  the 
Church  of  God  among  the  Jews,  was  not  to  be 


46  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

destroyed;  but  to  be  continued  down  into  the 
Gospel  dispensation,  forming  now  the  Christian 
Church.  This  is  further  corroborated  by  the 
prophet  Isaiah,  when  he  speaks  of  the  Christian 
Church:  "And  in  mercy  shall  the  throne  be 
established  :  and  he  shall  sit  upon  it,  in  truth, 
in  the  tabernacle  of  David,"  Isaiah  xvi,  5. 
Reigning  over  Zion,  or  the  Christian  Church,  is 
represented  by  the  prophet,  as  sitting  on  the 
throne  in  the  tabernacle  of  David,  which 
shows  clearly  the  identity  of  the  Church  before 
and  after  Christ  came.  This  agrees  with  the 
Revelator,  when  he  says,  "And  they  sing  the 
song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God,  and  the  song 
of  the  Lamb,  saying,  Great  and  marvelous  are 
thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty ;  just  and  true 
are  thy  ways,  thou  King  of  saints,"  Rev.  xv, 
3.  The  Psalmist,  when  he  had  a  view  of  the 
triumphant  entry  of  Christ  into  heaven,  says, 
"Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates;  and  be  ye 
lift  up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of 
glory  shall  come  in,"  Ps.  xxiv,  7. 

Christ  died  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham 
might  come  to  the  Gentiles.  Paul  says, 
"  Christ  hath  redeemed  us  from  the  curse  of 
the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us ;  *     *     * 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  47 

That  the  blessing  of  Abraham  might  come  on 
the  Gentiles  through  Jesus  Christ,"  Gal.  iii, 
13,  14.  What  were  the  blessing  of  Abraham  ? 
"  To  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and  thy  seed  after 
thee.'"  That  blessing  secured  to  Abraham 
and  his  little  children  a  Church  state.  The 
public  recognition  of  such  a  relation  was  the 
"token"  or  "seal,"  which  was  circumcision. 
This  is  an  express  declaration,  that  Christ  died 
to  secure  to  the  Gentile  world  that  which  was 
secured  to  Abraham  :  Peter  said  to  the  Jews  in 
the  temple,  immediately  after  he  miraculously 
cured  the  impotent  man  at  the  beautiful  gate, 
"  Ye  are  the  children  of  the  prophets,  and  of 
the  covenant  which  God  made  with  our  fathers, 
saying  unto  Abraham,  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all 
the  kindreds  of  the  earth  be  blessed,"  Acts  iii, 
25.  "  And  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abra- 
ham's seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  prom- 
ise," Gal.  iii,  29.  Paul  further  says  of  Abra- 
ham, he  shall  be  "  heir  of  the  world,"  "father 
of  many  nations,"  and  "father  of  us  all," 
Rom.  iv.  This  is  further  beautifully  illustrated 
by  the 

Parable  of  the  Vineyard.     The  Savior  says, 
"  Hear  another  parable ;  There  was  a  certain 


48  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

householder,  which  planted  a  vineyard,  and 
hedged  it  round  about,  and  digged  a  wine-press 
in  it,  and  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  hus- 
bandmen, and  went  into  a  far  country:  and 
when  the  time  of  the  fruit  drew  near,  he  sent 
his  servants  to  the  husbandmen,  that  they  might 
receive  the  fruits  of  it.  And  the  husbandmen 
took  his  servants,  and  beat  one,  and  killed  an- 
other, and  stoned  another.  Again  he  sent  other 
servants  more  than  the  first:  and  they  did  unto 
them  likewise.  Bat  last  of  all,  he  sent  unto 
them  his  son,  saying,  They  will  reverence  my 
son.  But  when  the  husbandmen  saw  the  son, 
they  said  among  themselves,  This  is  the  heir; 
come,  let  us  kill  him,  and  let  us  seize  on  his 
inheritance.  And  they  caught  him,  and  cast 
him  out  of  the  vineyard,  and  slew  him.  When 
the  lord  therefore  of  the  vineyard  cometh,  what 
will  he  do  unto  those  husbandmen  ?  They  say 
unto  him,  He  will  miserably  destroy  those 
wicked  men,  and  will  let  out  his  vineyard  unto 
other  husbandmen,  which  shall  render  him  the 
fruits  in  their  season.  Jesus  saith  unto  them, 
Did  ye  never  read  in  the  Scriptures,  The  stone 
which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is  become 
the  head  of  the  corner  :  this  is  the  Lord's  doing-, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  49 

and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes  ?  Therefore, 
say  I  unto  you,  The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be 
taken  from  you,  and  given  to  a  nation  bringing 
forth  the  fruits  thereof,"  Matth.  xxi,  33-43. 
Here,  the  Church  before  Christ  came  is  called 
a  "  vineyard"  The  building  of  the  tower, 
and  digging  of  the  wine-press,  show  the  culti- 
vation bestowed  upon  it.  From  time  to  time 
the  Lord  sent  his  prophets.  They  illy  treated 
them,  beating  some  and  killing  others.  At  last 
he  sent  his  Son.  "They  will  reverence  him." 
But  this  was  not  the  case;  "he  came  to  his 
own,  but  his  own  received  him  not."  That  is, 
Christ  came  to  his  own  Church,  but  his  own 
Church  received  him  not.  "  This  is  the  heir," 
said  those  wicked  husbandmen,  the  Jews,  "let 
us  kill  him."  They  caught  him,  and  cast  him 
out  of  the  vineyard,  and  slew  him.  When  the 
Lord  of  the  vineyard  cometh,  what  will  he  do 
unto  them  ?  He  will  miserably  destroy  those 
wicked  husbandmen,  and  "  let  out  his  vineyard 
unto  other  husbandmen."  This  was  fulfilled 
in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  Those  wick- 
ed husbandmen,  the  Jews,  were  destroyed, 
their  city  left  in  ruins,  their  temple  service  and 
polity  entirely  demolished.  The  vineyard,  or 
4 


50  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Church,  was  "let  out"  or  given  "unto  other 
husbandmen"  the  Gentiles.  This,  then, 
clearly  proves  the  point.  The  Jewish  Church, 
or  vineyard,  was  taken  from  the  Jews,  and 
given  to  the  Gentiles,  which  now  constitutes 
the  Christian  Church.  The  Savior  says,  "  The 
stone  which  the  builders  rejected,  the  same  is 
become  the  head  of  the  corner."  "Therefore, 
say  I  unto  you,  (Jews,)  the  kingdom  (Church) 
of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you,  and  be  given 
unto  a  nation  (Gentiles)  bringing  forth  the  fruits 
thereof."  Giving  and  receiving  do  not  imply 
a  destruction!  What  was  taken  from  the 
Jews?  The  "vineyard"  or  "kingdom  of 
God"  or  the  Church  of  God,  which  was  be- 
fore Christ  came.  What  was  received  by  the 
Gentiles?  The  same  vineyard,  or  Church, 
which  was  taken  from  the  Jews.  And  as  that 
secured  to  parents  membership  for  their  little 
children,  therefore,  the  Church  now  secures  the 
same  privilege.  We  learn  from  the  above, 
1.  A  Church  state  was  to  cease  among  the 
Jews.  2.  And  to  be  given  to  the  Gentiles, 
3.  The  sameness  of  that  state. 

The  house  and  partition  wall,  throws  addi- 
tional light  on   the   subject.      "  But  now,   in 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  51 

Christ  Jesus,  ye,  who  sometime  were  far  off, 
are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ.     For  he 
is  our  peace,  who  hath  made  both  one,  and 
hath  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of  partition 
between  us ;  having  abolished  in  his  flesh  the 
enmity,  even  the  law  of  commandments  con- 
tained in  ordinances  :  for  to  make  in  himself  of 
twain  one  new  man,  so  making  peace  ;  and  that 
he  might  reconcile  both  unto  God  in  one  body 
by  the  cross,  having  slain  the  enmity  thereby  ; 
and  came  and  preached  peace  to  you  (Gentiles) 
which  were  afar  off,  and  to  them  (Jews)  that 
were  nigh.    For  through  him  we  both  have  ac- 
cess by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father.    Now  there- 
fore ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but 
fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  house- 
hold of  God  ;  and  are  built  upon  the  foundation 
of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  him- 
self being  the  chief  corner-stone;  in  whom  all 
the  building  fitly  framed  together,  groweth  unto 
a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord:  in  whom  ve  also 
are  builded  together,  for  an  habitation  of  God 
through  the   Spirit,"  £ph.   ii,    13-22.      This 
agrees  with  what  Paul  says,  in  his  letter  to  the 
Hebrews,  namely  :   «  Wherefore,  holy  brethren, 
(Jews,)  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling,  con- 


52  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

sider  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest  of  our  pro- 
fession, Christ  Jesus.  Who  was  faithful  to 
him  that  appointed  him,  as  also  Moses  was 
faithful  in  all  his  house  (Jewish  Church.)  For 
this  man  (Christ  Jesus)  was  counted  worthy 
of  more  glory  than  Moses,  inasmuch  as  he  who 
hath  builded  the  house  hath  more  honor  than 
the  house.  For  every  house  is  builded  by 
some  man ;  but  he  that  hath  built  all  things  is 
God.  And  Moses  verily  was  faithful  in  all  his 
house,  (Jewish  Church,)  as  a  servant,  for  a  tes- 
timony of  those  things  which  were  to  be  spoken 
after:  but  Christ  as  a  son  over  his  own  house, 
(Church,)  whose  house  (Church)  are  we, (Jews,) 
if  we  hold  fast  the  confidence,  and  the  rejoicing 
of  the  hope  firm  unto  the  end,"  Heb.  iii,  1-6. 
Here  the  two  principal  dispensations  of  the 
Church  are  brought  to  view,  namely,  the  Legal, 
or  Jewish,  and  the  Gospel.  Moses,  the  medi- 
ator and  lawgiver  of  the  former;  and  Christ, 
the  mediator  and  lawgiver  of  the  latter.  But 
it  is  expressly  stated,  that  Christ  was  the  build- 
er, or  founder  of  the  Jewish,  as  well  as  the 
Christian  Church.  "For  this  man  (Christ) 
was  counted  worthy  of  more  glory  than  Moses, 
inasmuch  as  he  (Christ)  who  hath  builded  the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  53 

house  (Jewish  Church)  hath  more  honor  than 
the  house.  But  Christ,  as  a  son  (master,  or 
lord)  over  his  own  house,  (Jewish  as  well  as 
the  Christian  Church,)  whose  house  are  we,  if 
we  hold  fast  the  confidence  and  the  rejoicing 
of  the  hope  firm  unto  the  end."  The  Church, 
before  the  time  that  Christ  made  his  personal 
appearance  on  the  earth,  was  Christ's,  but  was 
in  a  state  of  minority  ;  as  Paul  says,  "  Now  I 
say  that  the  heir,  (Jewish  Church,)  as  long  as 
he  is  a  child,  differeth  nothing  from  a  servant, 
though  he  be  lord  of  all;  but  is  under  tutors 
and  governors  until  the  time  (Gospel  dispen- 
sation) appointed  of  the  father,"  Gal.  iv,  1,  2. 
Then  the  Church  is  to  be  presented  in  its 
majority,  or  in  its  perfect  form,  to  remain  so 
until  the  Trinity  shall  bring  to  a  final  conclu- 
sion the  plan  of  redemption  by  Jesus  Christ. 

Before  the  coming  of  Christ,  the  Gentiles 
were  called  "  aliens  and  strangers ;"  but  now, 
they  are  "fellow-citizens  with  the  saints  and 
household  of  God."  Both  are  to  be  reconciled 
untc  God,  in  "one  body,"  or  Church;  and  are 
built  on  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  Jesus  Christ  himself  being  the  chief 
corner-stone.      This  "house,"  or  "building," 


54  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

which  is  the  Christian  Church,  is  built  on  the 
foundation  of  the  prophets,  as  well  as  the  apos- 
tles. This  building,  or  Church,  "  fitly  framed 
together,  groweth  unto  an  holy  temple  in  the 
Lord."  See  how  beautifully  Gospel  institu- 
tions and  ordinances  are  framed  on  Jewish  rites 
and  ceremonies.  The  Jewish  Church  had  two 
sacraments :  namely,  the  passover  and  circum- 
cision. The  Christian  Church,  also,  has  two : 
the  eucharist  and  baptism.  These  take  the 
place  of  the  former.  The  Lord's  supper  takes 
the  place  of  the  passover,  and  baptism,  that  of 
circumcision.  The  passover  was  typical  of 
the.  shedding  of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  of  God, 
for  the  sins  of  the  world ;  and  when  that  event 
took  place,  it  could  not  be  continued,  but  must 
give  way  to  an  institution  which  would  repre- 
sent the  Savior's  death  as  having  taken  place ; 
which  is  the  province  of  the  eucharist :  k<  For 
as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup, 
ye  do  show  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come,"  1 
Cor.  xi,  26.  Again,  "  For  even  Christ,  our 
Passover,  is  sacrificed  for  us  ;  therefore,  let  us 
keep  the  feast,"  1  Cor.  v,  7,  8.  This  estab- 
lishes the  fact,  that  the  Lord's  supper  is  framed 
on,  or  takes  the  place  of  the  Jewish  passover. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  55 

Circumcision  was  a  seal  of  the  covenant  made 
with  Abraham.  The  main  point,  in  that  cove- 
nant, was  a  future  and  promised  Savior,  through 
the  birth  of  a  son,  in  his  old  days,  to  be  called 
Isaac.  Circumcision  was  typical,  or  emblemat- 
ical of  the  miraculous  conception  of  the  Savior. 
He  was  emphatically  to  be  the  "  seed  of  the 
woman"  not  of  man.  Hence,  the  rite  of  cir- 
cumcision emblematically  interdicted  the  agency 
of  man  in  the  ordinary  course  of  generation,  as 
is  shown  by  Luke,  in  the  facts  of  the  Savior's 
conception:  "  Then  said  Mary  unto  the  angel, 
How  shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man? 
And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  her, 
The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and 
the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow 
thee  •  therefore,  also,  that  holy  thing  which 
shall  be  born  of  thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son 
of  God,"  Luke  i,  34,  35.  Circumcision  was, 
then,  a  "  token  "  of  that  covenant.  It  was,  also, 
a  sign  of  the  purification  of  heart :  says  Moses, 
"  And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  circumcise  thy 
heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all 
thy  soul,  that  thou  mayest  live,"  Deut.  xxx,  6. 
If,  then,  circumcision  pointed  to  the  miraculous 


56  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

conception  and  birth  of  the  Savior,  it  is  evident, 
when  that  took  place,  it  could  not  be  practiced 
without  a  denial  that  he  had  come.  Of  neces- 
sity, it  must  be  succeeded  by  another  institu- 
tion. It  will  be  recollected,  that,  after  the 
coming  of  Christ,  the  Holy  Spirit  was  to  be 
"poured  out  upon  all  flesh"  This,  then,  was 
the  crowning  evidence,  that  the  son  of  Mary 
was  the  promised  Messiah.  John  says,  "He 
that  sent  me  to  baptize  with  water,  the  same 
said  unto  me,  Upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the 
Spirit  descending  and  remaining  on  him,  the 
same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy 
Spirit,"  John  i,  33.  And  as  circumcision  was 
a  sign  of  the  purification  of  the  heart,  so  bap- 
tism is  "a  sign  of  regeneration,  or  the  new 
birth."  Peter  beautifully  illustrates  this,  when 
he  says,  "  The  like  figure  whereunto,  even 
baptism  doth  also  now  save  us,  (not  the  putting 
away  the  filth  of  the  flesh,)"  [circumcision.] 
Circumcision  was  an  institution  by  which 
they  named  a  person  or  child.  "  And  it 
came  to  pass,  that  on  the  eighth  day  they 
came  to  circumcise  the  child;  and  they  called 
him  Zacharias,  after  the  name  of  his  father. 
And   his    mother    answered,    and    said,     Not 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  57 

so;  but  he  shall  be  called  John.  And 
they  said  unto  her,  There  is  none  of  thy  kin- 
dred that  is  called  by  this  name ;  and  they 
made  signs  to  his  father,  how  he  would  have 
him  called ;  and  he  asked  for  a  writing-table, 
and  wrote,  saying,  His  name  is  John.  And 
they  marveled  all,"  Luke  i,  59-63.  "And 
when  eight  days  were  accomplished  for  the  cir- 
cumcising of  the  child,  his  name  was  called 
JESUS,  which  was  so  named  of  the  angel  be- 
fore he  was  conceived,"  Luke  ii,  21.  "  Among 
the  Jews,  a  child  was  named  when  he  was  cir- 
cumcised; and,  ordinarily,  the  name  of  the 
father  was  given  to  the  first  born."  (See  Dr. 
Clarke's  note  on  Luke  i,  59.)  In  baptism,  the 
person,  or  child  takes  on  him  his  permanent 
Christian  name.  It  is,  therefore,  an  institution, 
in  the  Christian  Church,  to  give  a  name. 
Hence  it  is  called,  "to  Christen.'''' 

The  Sabbath.  The  Jews  observed  the  sev- 
enth day  of  the  week,  not  only  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  creation  of  the  world,  but  of  their 
deliverance  from  Egyptian  bondage,  Deut.  v, 
13-16.  But  we,  as  Christians,  observe  the 
first  day  of  the  week  as  our  Sabbath,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  an 


58  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

assurance  of  deliverance  from  sin,  a  greater  de- 
liverance than  that  from  the  bondage  of  Egypt. 
The  Christian  Sabbath  is  grafted,  or  comes  in 
the  place  of  the  Jewish  :  "In  the  end  of  the 
Sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn  toward  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene,  and 
the  other  Mary  to  see  the  sepulchre,"  Matt. 
xxviii,  1.  In  the  end  of  the  (Jewish)  Sabbaths, 
oaj3j3atu>v.  This  is  the  genitive  plural,  as  it 
began  to  dawn  toward  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  evs  piav  oapfiatcov.  This  is  also  in  the 
genitive  plural.  It  should,  then,  be  trans- 
lated, In  the  end  of  the  (Jewish)  Sabbaths,  as  it 
began  to  dawn  into  the  first  of  the  Sabbaths, 
that  is,  the  first  of  the   Christian   Sabbaths. 

The  ministers  of  the  Gospel  succeed  the 
priests  and  Levites;  prayer,  with  a  broken  and 
a  contrite  heart,  succeeds  the  Jewish  sacrifices 
and  feasts.  All  this  building,  fitly  framed  to- 
gether, groweth  unto  an  holy  temple  in  the 
Lord,  in  whom  ye  are  also  builded  together, 
for  a  habitation  of  God,  through    the  Spirit. 

Again:  "He  is  our  peace,  who  has  made 
both  (Jews  and  Gentiles)  one,  and  hath  broken 
down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between 
ws."     The  Church  is  here  represented  under 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  59 

the  idea  of  a  building,  or  house,  with  a  partition 
wall  in  it.  On  the  one  side  of  the  wall  were 
the  Jews,  in  membership  with  their  little  chil- 
dren ;  and  on  the  other  side  were  the  Gentiles. 
This  partition  wall,  when  taken  down,  would 
bring  Jews  and  Gentiles  together,  in  one  en- 
larged room.  This  formed  the  first  apostolic, 
or  Christian  Church.  In  this  Church  were 
infants  in  membership — Jews,  zoith  their  in- 
fant children.  This  fact  was  prophesied  by 
the  prophet  Joel :  namely,  "  Blow  the  trumpet 
in  Zion,  sanctify  a  fast,  call  a  solemn  assem- 
bly :  gather  the  people,  sanctify  the  congre- 
gation, assemble  the  elders,  gather  the  children, 
and  those  that  suck  the  breasts :  let  the  bride- 
groom go  forth  of  his  chamber,  and  the  bride 
out  of  her  closet,"  Joel  ii,  15,  16.  The  bride- 
groom was  the  Savior,  and  the  bride  was  the 
Church :  it  is,  therefore,  evident  the  first  apos- 
tolic, or  Christian  Church,  was  formed,  or 
composed,  of  parents  and  their  little  children. 
The  "building,"  or  "house,"  you  will  bear 
in  mind,  was  not  destroyed,  but  was  to  remain ; 
the  partition  wall  only  was  to  be  taken  down. 
How  clearly  this  sustains  the  fact  of  the  con 
tinuation  of  the  Jewish  Church. 


60  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Our  opponents  must  prove  one  of  three 
things,  or  their  opposition  to  infant  Church 
membership,  and,  consequently,  infant  bap- 
tism, must  fall  to  the  ground:  namely,  1.  They 
must  show  that  infant  membership  was  disan- 
nulled, or  taken  away  from  the  Church,  before 
the  coming  of  Christ,  or  the  taking  down  of 
the  partition  wall.  2.  At  the  time  of  the 
taking  of  it  down.  3.  Or  at  some  subsequent 
period. 

Will  any  of  our  opponents  contend,  that 
before  the  coming  of  Christ,  infant  member 
ship  was  taken  away  from  the  Church  ?  And, 
if  so,  where  is  the  testimony?  Will  they  sa\ 
that  infant  membership  was  practiced  for  some 
time  in  the  Christian  Church,  and  was  then 
disannulled.  If  so,  where  is  the  evidence? 
And,  lastly,  was  infant  membership  destroyed 
at  the  time  of  the  taking  down  of  the  partition 
wall?  Hear  Peter,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost: 
"  Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you, 
*  *  *  For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to 
your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even 
as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call,"  Acts 
ii,  38,  39.  Compare  this  with  that  which  was 
promised  unto  Abraham:  "To  be  a  God  unto 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  61 

thee,  and  thy  seed  after  thee"  This  is  the 
same  form  of  expression,  and  the  same  per- 
sons are  identified  :  namely,  parents  and  their 
infant  children. 

There  are  three  things  to  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration for  a  correct  understanding  of  the 
above:  namely,  1.  The  person  speaking.  2. 
The  persons  spoken  to.  3.  The  matter,  or 
subject  spoken  of.  1.  The  person  speaking  is 
Peter,  a  Jew.  2.  The  persons  spoken  to  were 
Jews.  3.  He  is  about  to  present  the  Church 
in  its  perfect  form,  under  the  broad  commis- 
sion of  its  great  Head  :  «*  Go  ye,  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  (nations)  in 
the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost."  Who  compose  nations? 
Men,  women,  and  children.  Here,  then,  is  a 
command  to  baptize  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. Peter,  then,  presents  the  Church  to 
the  world  in  the  same  form  of  expression  that 
God  did  to  Abraham  :  namely,  "The  promise 
is  unto  you  and  your  children.''''  To  Abra- 
ham, it  was  said,  "  To  be  a  God  unto  thee, 
and  thy  seed  after  thee."  He  was  taught  to 
understand  that  expression  as  embracing  his 
infant  children;  and,  as  the  Jews  were  in  the 


62  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

habit,  for  two  thousand  years,  of  dedicating 
their  infants  to  the  Lord,  and  recognizing  them 
as  members  of  the  Church  by  circumcision, 
they  would  naturally  understand  Peter  that 
there  was  no  alteration  in  the  Church  in  ref- 
erence to  their  children ;  and  if  Peter  did  in- 
tend to  convey  the  idea,  that  the  children  should 
be  cut  off  from  Church  membership  and  priv- 
ileges, he  has  been  most  unfortunate  in  the 
selection  of  words  to  convey  such  an  idea. 
The  Church  was  to  be  presented  to  the  Gen- 
tiles in  the  same  manner  as  it  was  to  the  Jews  : 
namely,  "  The  promise  is  unto  you  and  your 
children." 

In  the  first  apostolic,  or  Christian  Church, 
we  have  clearly  shown  that  infants  were  in 
membership.  Now,  let  our  opponents  show 
to  the  world  how  they  get  them  out.  If  they 
cannot  do  this,  their  cause  is  ruined. 

The  figure  of  the  olive  tree  throws  additional 
light  on  this  subject:  "  For  if  the  first  fruit  be 
holy,  the  lump  is  also  holy :  and  if  the  root 
(Abraham)  be  holy,  so  are  the  branches.  And 
if  some  of  the  branches  (unbelieving  Jews)  be 
broken  off,  and  thou,  being  a  wild  olive  tree, 
(Gentiles,)  wert  grafted  in  among  them,  and 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  63 

with  them  (Jews)  partakest  of  the  root  and 
fatness  of  the  olive  tree ;  (Jewish  Church ;) 
boast  not  against  the  branches.  But  if  thou 
boast,  thou  bearest  not  the  root,  but  the  root 
thee.  Thou  wilt  say,  then,  the  branches  were 
broken  off,  that  I  might  be  grafted  in.  Well ; 
because  of  unbelief  they  were  broken  off,  and 
thou  standest  by  faith.  Be  not  high-minded, 
but  fear :  for  if  God  spared  not  the  natural 
branches,  (Jews,)  take  heed  lest  he  also  spare 
not  thee.  Behold,  therefore,  the  goodness  and 
severity  of  God :  on  them  which  fell,  severity ; 
but  toward  thee,  goodness,  if  thou  continue  in 
his  goodness  :  otherwise  thou  also  shalt  be  cut 
off.  And  they  also,  if  they  abide  not  still  in 
unbelief,  shall  be  grafted  in ;  for  God  is  able  to 
graft  them  in  again.  For  if  thou  wert  cut  out 
of  the  olive  tree  which  is  wild  by  nature,  and 
wert  grafted  contrary  to  nature  into  a  good 
olive  tree ;  how  much  more  shall  these,  which 
be  the  natural  branches,  be  grafted  into  their 
own  olive  tree?"  Rom.  xi,  16-24.  The  apos- 
tle, in  the  eighth,  ninth,  tenth,  and  eleventh 
chapters  of  this  epistle,  is  showing  the  call  of 
the  Jews  to  an  ecclesiastical  state ;  and  the  for- 
feiture of  that  relation,  througli  unbelief;  and 


64  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

that  Church  state  to  pass  from  them  to  the 
Gentiles.  He  presents  the  whole  subject  to 
our  view  under  the  figure  of  an  "olive  tree," 
which  was  the  Jewish  Church.  Some  of  the 
natural  branches  (Jews)  were  broken  off 
through  unbelief:  the  root,  trunk,  and  some 
of  the  natural  branches,  remain.  The  Gen- 
tiles, which  were  of  the  "  wild  olive  tree," 
were  grafted  into  the  "good  olive  tree ,"  {the 
Jewish  Church,)  among  the  natural  branches, 
and  partake  of  the  root  (the  promises  to 
Abraham)  and  fatness  of  the  olive  tree:  that 
is,  the  advantages  and  immunities  of  the  Jew- 
ish Church. 

Those  Jews  that  embraced  Christ  by  faith, 
remained  on  the  "olive  tree,"  or  Jewish 
Church,  as  its  natural  branches:  those  of  the 
Gentiles,  who  embraced  Christ,  were  grafted  in- 
to this  olive  tree,  among  the  natural  branches. 
How  beautifully  and  forcibly  this  shows  the 
connection  between  the  Jewish  and  Christian 
dispensations  of  the  Church.  The  apostles, 
with,  perhaps,  the  one  hundred  and  twenty, 
with  other  believing  Jews,  were  the  connect- 
ing link  between  those  great  dispensations  of 
the  Church. 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  65 

The  Savior,  after  his  resurrection,  gives  his 
great  commission  to  his  disciples  to  preach  his 
Gospel  to  every  creature,  and  teach  all  na- 
tions, baptizing  them:  they  were  to  preach 
repentance,  and  remission  of  sins,  among  all 
nations.  The  commission,  then,  was  to  preach 
and  baptize;  and  this  was  to  be  done  among 
all  nations.  Before  this  time,  their  labors  were 
to  be  confined  to  the  Jewish  Church.  The 
commission  was  not  to  form  a  new  Church, 
but  to  make  disciples  and  converts  for  the 
Church  which  had  been  established,  which 
their  fathers  had  lived  in  from  the  days  of 
Abraham.  In  proof  of  this,  in  the  first  ser- 
mon which  was  preached  by  Peter  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  not  one  word  was  said  about  a 
new  organization:  but,  "Then  they  that 
gladly  received  his  word,  were  baptized:  and 
the  same  day  there  were  added  unto  them 
about  three  thousand  souls,"  Acts  ii,  41.  Add- 
ed unto  what?  The  Church  which  was  then 
in  existence,  which  was  the  Jewish. 

If  the  apostle  had  intended  to  establish  the 
position  entertained  by  Mr.  Campbell  and 
others,  that  the  Jewish  Church  was  demol- 
ished, and  the  Christian  Church  was  built  on 
5 


66  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

the  ruins  thereof,  he  doubtless  would  have  said, 
"  That  old  *  olive  tree,'  the  Jewish  Church, 
which  is  only  a  kind  of  a  « politico-ecclesiasti- 
cal' establishment,  is  to  be  rooted  up,  and  cast 
out  of  the  vineyard."  But,  does  he  say  so  t 
No  \  Well,  what  does  he  say  ?  "  The  root  is 
hoi),  also  the  branches;"  and  the  Gentiles, 
which  are  of  the  "wild  olive,"  are  grafted  on 
the  good  olive  tree,  among  the  natural  branches, 
and  partake  of  the  root  and  fatness  thereof. 
There  is  a  time  coining,  according  to  prophecy, 
when  the  Jews  will  believe  on  Jesus  of  Naza- 
reth, and  behold  him  as  their  long  looked-for 
Messiah,  and  shall  be  gathered  into  his  fold. 
This  is  clearly  exhibited  in  the  following: 
"And  they  (Jews)  also,  if  they  abide  not  still 
in  unbelief,  shall  be  grafted  in ;  for  God  is  able 
to  graft  them  in  again :  for  if  thou  (Gentiles) 
wert  cut  out  of  the  olive  tree,  which  is  wild  by 
nature,  and  wert  grafted,  contrary  to  nature, 
into  a  good  olive  tree,  how  much  more  shall 
these,  (Jews,)  which  be  the  natural  branches, 
be  grafted  into  their  own  olive  tree :"  that  is, 
the  Church  from  which  they  were  broken  off, 
which  was  the  Jewish  Church.  Of  course, 
then,  that  M  olive  tree,"  or  Church,  must  re- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  67 

main,  and  constitute  the  Church  of  God  at  the 
time  of  its  millennial  glory. 

This  is  further  clearly  illustrated  by  Paul : 
"  Whereby,  when  ye  read,  ye  may  understand 
my  knowledge  in  the  mystery  of  Christ,  which 
in  other  ages  was  not  made  known  unto  the 
sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto  the 
holy  apostles  and  prophets  by  the  Spirit ;  that 
the  Gentiles  should  be  fellow-heirs,  (with  the 
Jews,)  and  of  the  same  body,  (same  Church,) 
and  partakers  of  his  promise  in  Christ  by  the 
Gospel,"  Eph.  iii,  4-6.  And  further,  "And  he 
(Abraham)  received  the  sign  of  circumcision,  a 
seal  of  the  righteousness  of  the  faith  which  he 
had  yet  being  uncircumcised  :  that  he  might  be 
the  father  of  all  them  that  believe,  though  they 
be  not  circumcised ;"  also,  "  he  should  be 
heir  of  the  world,"  Rom.  iv,  11-18  ;  Gal.  iii, 
29. 

Christ  was  a  minister  of  the  Jewish  Church. 
"  Now,  I  say  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  minister 
of  the  circumcision  (Jewish  Church)  for  the 
truth  of  God,  to  confirm  the  promises  made 
unto  the  fathers,"  Rom.  xv,  8.  His  personal 
ministry  was  confined  to  the  Jews ;  he  was 
sent  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ; 


68  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

"  he  came  to  his  own,  (Church,)  but  his  own 
received  him  not;"  and,  indeed,  the  ministry 
of  the  apostles  prior  to  the  crucifixion  of  the 
Savior,  was  confined  to  the  Jewish  Church. 
The  Savior  commands  them,  saying,  "  Go  not 
into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city 
of  the  Samaritans  enter  ye  not.  But  go  rather 
to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel," 
Matt,  x,  5,  6.  Therefore,  the  ministry  of  the 
Savior,  and  that  of  the  apostles,  was  confined 
to  the  Jewish  Church. 

And  for  this  Church  Christ  died.  "  Hus- 
bands love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  also 
loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself  for  it;  that 
he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the  wash- 
ing of  water  by  the  word,"  Eph.  v,  25,  26. 
(See  Acts  vii,  38.)  For  what  Church  did 
Christ  die  ?  That  Church  which  was  then  in 
existence :  it  was  to  be  cleansed  and  sanctified, 
and  then  to  constitute  the  Christian  Church. 
This  agrees  with  what  John  the  Baptist  says : 
"  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repent- 
ance: but  he  that  cometh  after  me  (Christ) 
*  *  *  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  with  fire :  whose  fan  is  in  his  hand, 
and  he  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor,  (Jew 


TREATISE    ON    BArTISM.  69 

ish  Church,)  and  gather  his  wheat  into  the 
garner;  but  he  will  burn  up  the  chaff  with 
unquenchable  fire,"  Matt,  iii,  11,  12.  The 
"floor"  here,  means  the  Jewish  Church, 
which  is  emphatically  called  "his  floor,"  or 
Church,  which  was  to  be  purged  or  cleansed, 
and  then  given  to  the  Gentiles,  to  be  continued 
down  to  the  end  of  time,  and  not  destroyed,  as 
some  vainly  talk. 

The  gates  of  the  Jewish  Church  were  to 
remain  open  to  receive  Gentile  converts.  Hear 
what  the  prophet  Isaiah  says  :  "  Therefore,  thy 
gates  shall  be  open  continually  ;  they  shall  not 
be  shut  day  nor  night;  that  men  may  bring 
unto  thee  (Jewish  Church)  the  forces  of  the 
Gentiles,  and  that  their  kings  may  be  brought," 
Isa.  lx,  11.  Here  we  see,  that  the  gates  of  the 
Jewish  Church  are  to  be  open  continually,  for 
the  reception  of  Gentile  converts ;  therefore, 
it  is  to  be  continued,  and  become  an  "  eternal 
excellency:"  "Whereas  thou  hast  been  for- 
saken and  hated,  so  that  no  man  went  through 
thee,  I  will  make  thee  an  eternal  excellency,  a 
joy  of  many  generations,"  Isa.  lx,  15.  The 
fruit  of  this  Church  is  to  fill  the  whole  world: 
"He  shall  cause  them  that  come  of  Jacob  to 


70  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

take  root :  Israel  shall  blossom  and  bud,  and 
fill  the  face  of  the  world  with  fruit,*'  Isa.  xxvii, 
6.  Again  :  "  Sing,  O  barren,  thou  that  didst 
not  bear ;  break  forth  into  singing,  and  cry 
aloud,  thou  that  didst  not  travail  with  child: 
for  more  are  the  children  of  the  desolate  than 
the  children  of  the  married  wife,  (Jewish 
Church,)  saith  the  Lord.  Enlarge  the  place 
of  thy  tent,  and  let  them  stretch  forth  the  cur- 
tain of  thy  habitations  ;  spare  not,  lengthen  thy 
cords,  and  strengthen  thy  stakes ;  for  thou 
shalt  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the 
left ;  and  thy  seed  shall  inherit  the  Gentiles, " 
Isa.  liv,  1-3.  Here  is  a  prophecy,  that  the 
Jewish  Church  should  enlarge  her  borders,  and 
inherit  the  Gentiles.  This  did  not  take  place 
before  the  coming  of  Christ,  as  all  history 
shows ;  and  if  the  Jewish  Church  were  de- 
stroyed, then  here  is  a  prophecy  which  has 
failed!  Are  we  prepared  to  rush  into  such  a 
conclusion  ?  I  presume  not.  Well,  when  was 
Zion's  borders  enlarged ;  and  when  did  the 
Jewish  Church  inherit  the  Gentiles?  When 
the  Savior  gave  his  disciples  their  great  com- 
mission: m  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature  ;"  "  Go  ye,  there- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  71 

fore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;"  "And  said  unto  them,  Thus 
it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to 
suffer,  and  to  rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day : 
and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should 
be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem."  This  agrees  with 
what  the  Savior  says  in  commendation  of  the 
faith  of  the  centurion  of  Capernaum  :  "  Verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  I  have  not  found  so  great  faith, 
no,  not  in  Israel.  And  I  say  unto  you,  That 
many  shall  come  from  the  east  and  west,  and 
shall  sit  down  with  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  (Jewish 
Church:)  but  the  children  (Jews)  of  the  king- 
dom shall  be  cast  out  into  outer  darkness," 
Matth.  viii,  10-12.  This  cannot  mean  the 
Church  triumphant ;  for  those  that  shall  be  so 
happy  as  to  get  there,  shall  never  be  cast  out. 
"  Many  shall  come  from  the  east  and  west," 
&c,  has  reference  to  the  Gentiles  coming  into 
the  Church.  "  Sitting  down  with  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom,"  who  were 
the  fathers  of  the  Church,  means,  to  enjoy  the 
blessings   secured  to  them.      Therefore,   the 


72  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

kingdom  of  heaven,  or  Church,  shall  remain ; 
but  the  children  of  the  kingdom,  the  Jews,  shall 
be  cast  out. 

A  prophetic  vieiv  of  the  Church  in  the  time 
of  its  millennial  glory.  "  The  children  which 
thou  shalt  have,  (Gentile  converts,)  after  thou 
hast  lost  the  other,  (Jews,)  shall  say  again  in 
thy  ears,  The  place  is  too  strait  for  me :  give 
place  to  me,  that  I  may  dwell.  Then  shalt 
thou  say  in  thy  heart,  Who  hath  begotten  me 
these,  (Gentile  converts,)  seeing  I  have  lost 
my  children,  (Jews,)  and  am  desolate,  a  cap- 
tive, and  removing  to  and  fro  ?  and  who  hath 
brought  up  these  ?  Behold,  I  was  left  alone  ; 
these,  where  had  they  been  ?  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God,  Behold,  I  will  lift  up  my  hand  to 
the  Gentiles,  and  set  up  my  standard  to  the  peo- 
ple :  and  they  shall  bring  thy  sons  in  their 
arms,  and  thy  daughters  shall  be  carried  upon 
their  shoulders.  And  kings  shall  be  thy  nurs- 
ing fathers,  and  their  queens  thy  nursing  moth- 
ers, "  Isa.  xlix,  20-23.  Here  it  speaks  of  the 
Church  having  children  after  she  had  lost  her 
first  children,  (the  Jews,)  and  tells  how:  by 
"  the  Lord  God  lifting  up  his  hand  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  a  standard  to  the  people ;"  and  at  a 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  73 

time  when  kings  and  queens  shall  be  nursing 
fathers  and  mothers.  The  prophet  represents 
them  coming  into  the  Church,  with  their  little 
children  in  their  arms.  This  is  further  beauti- 
fully corroborated  by  the  following :  "  Then 
Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed  bold,  and  said,  it  was 
necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should  first 
have  been  spoken  to  you  (Jews) :  but  seeing 
ye  put  it  from  you,  and  judge  yourselves  un- 
worthy of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the 
Gentiles,"  Acts  xiU,  46.  Again  :  "  They  shall 
not  labor  in  vain,  nor  bring  forth  for  trouble ; 
for  they  are  the  seed  of  the  blessed  of  the  Lord, 
and  their  offspring  with  them.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  before  they  call,  I  will  answer ; 
and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I  will  hear. 
The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together,  and 
the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  bullock,"  Isa. 
lxv,  23-25.  The  prophet  is  here  speaking  of 
the  Church  at  the  time  of  its  millennial  glory : 
"  The  wolf  and  the  lamb  shall  feed  together," 
&c.  And  who  will  compose  the  Church  then  ? 
"  The  seed  of  the  blessed  of  the  Lord,  and 
their  offspring  with  them.''1  "  If  ye  then  be 
Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs 
according  to  the  promise." 


74  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

We  now  notice  similarity  of  expression  in 
the  Old  and  the  New  Testament.  "  Turn,  O 
backsliding  children,  saith  the  Lord  ;  for  I  am 
married  unto  you,"  Jer.  iii,  14  :  "  Come  hith- 
er, I  will  show  thee  the  bride,  the  Lamb's 
wife,"  Rev.  xxi,  9.  "  Give  ear,  O  shepherd 
of  Israel,  thou  that  leadest  Joseph  like  a  flock," 
Ps.  lxxx,  1 :  "  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
great  shepherd  of  the  sheep,"   Heb.  xiii,  20. 

"  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,'''1  Eph. 
iv,  5.  "One  Lord"  over  the  Jewish  Church, 
as  well  as  the  Christian.  The  angel  of  the 
Lord,  or  the  Lord  God  of  the  holy  prophets, 
was  the  future  Christ.  "One  faith:"  the 
holy  prophets  had  faith  in  a  Messiah  to  come, 
who  was  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  world. 
Since  Christ  has  come,  the  Church  believe  in 
a  crucified  and  risen  Savior.  "One  baptism:" 
that,  before  Christ,  was  personified  by  "  cir- 
cumcision of  the  heart,"  Deut.  xxx,  6,  or  that 
state  of  purification,  which  is  necessary  to  the 
entry,  and  the  enjoyment  of  heaven.  The 
purification  of  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
under  the  Gospel  dispensation,  is  the  same  as 
the  circumcision  of  the  heart,  whiih  is  called, 
"baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost."     "  For,  by 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  75 

one  Spirit  we  are  all  baptized  into  one  body." 
One  Lord  over  the  Jewish,  as  well  as  the 
Christian  Church  ;  one  faith  in  Christ  by  both; 
one  baptism,  or  cleansing  operation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  in  both. 

We  think  we  have  clearly  established  the 
positions  with  which  we  started  out :  namely, 
1.  God  had  a  Church  before  Christ.  2.  That 
Church  was  not  destroyed,  but  was  continued 
down  into  the  Gospel  dispensation,  forming  the 
Christian  Church.  3.  Infants  were  recognized 
in  that  Church  as  members.  4.  The  member- 
ship of  infants  was  not  abrogated,  or  disan- 
nulled. Therefore,  infants  are  now  members 
of  the  Church.  If  so,  the  conclusion  is  irre- 
sistible, that  they  have  the  right  to  take  the 
Christian  name  in  holy  baptism. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Objections  to  the  foregoing:  1.  Mr.  Campbells,  from 
Dan.  ii,  44 — 2.  J  will  build  my  Church — 3.  From  Gal. 
iv,  21-31 :  Cast  out — 4.  If  children  are  Church  members, 
and  have  a  right  to  baptism,  they  should  be  admitted  to 
the  communion. 

"  In  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God 
of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never 


76  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

be  destroyed :  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be 
left  to  other  people,"  Dan.  ii,  44.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell says,  "  In  the  days  of  the  iron  kingdom 
shall  the  God  of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom.  Not 
the  golden,  the  silver,  the  brazen,  nor  sacerdo- 
tal: these  had  all  been  set  up."  (Debate  with 
M'Calla,  p.  97.) 

This  kingdom  to  be  "setup,"  means  the 
reigning  of  Christ.  This  was  to  be  after  the 
manner  pointed  out  in  the  Scriptures.  Hear 
how  the  prophet  Isaiah  describes  it:  "Of  the 
increase  of  his  government  and  peace,  there 
shall  be  no  end,  upon  the  throne  of  David, 
and  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to  es- 
tablish it  with  judgment  and  with  justice,  from 
henceforth  even  for  ever,"  Isa.  ix,  7.  This 
agrees  with  the  annunciation  of  the  angel  Ga- 
briel, a  minister  fresh  from  the  court  of  heaven : 
"And  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him 
(Christ)  the  throne  of  his  father  David :  and 
he  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever; 
and  of  his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end," 
Luke  i,  32,  33.  Then  the  reigning  of  Christ, 
as  a  king,  was  to  be  on  the  throne  of  David, 
and  over  the  house  of  Jacob.  Then,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  the  throne  of  David  and  the  house 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  77 

of  Jacob  must  remain.  But  as  we  have  already- 
examined  this  point,  we  will  not  extend  the 
argument  here,  but  will  refer  the  reader  to  the 
decision  of  the  first  conference,  which  met  at 
Jerusalem,  over  which  James  presided,  as  a 
triumphant  refutation  of  Mr.  Campbell's  views : 
"  And  after  they  held  their  peace,  James  an- 
swered, saying,  Men  and  brethren,  hearken 
unto  me.  Simeon  hath  declared  how  God  at 
the  first  did  visit  the  Gentiles,  to  take  out  of 
them  a  people  for  his  name.  And  to  this 
agree  the  words  of  the  prophets,  as  it  is  written, 
(Amos  ix,  11,  12,)  After  this  1  will  return, 
and  will  build  again  the  tabernacle  of  David 
(Jewish  Church)  which  is  fallen  down,  and  I 
will  build  again  the  ruins  thereof,  and  I  will 
set  it  up,"  Acts  xv,  13-17.  We  will  now 
turn  and  quote  from  the  prophet  Amos :  "In 
that  day  (the  coming  of  Christ)  will  I  raise  up 
the  tabernacle  of  David  (Jewish  Church)  that  is 
fallen,  and  close  up  the  breaches  thereof;  and  I 
will  raise  up  his  ruins,  and  I  will  build  it  as  in 
the  days  of  old  :  that  they  may  possess  the 
remnant  of  Edom,  and  all  the  heathen,  which 
are  called  by  my  name,  saith  the  Lord  that 
doeth  this,"  Amos  ix,  11,  12. 


78  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

What  Daniel  calls  setting  up  the  kingdom, 
or  reign  of  Christ,  Amos  and  James  call  the 
setting  up  the  tabernacle  of  David,  or  the  Jew- 
ish Church,  which  is  represented  to  be  in  a 
fallen  and  corrupt  condition ;  for  they  had 
made  the  commandments  of  God  of  none  effect 
by  their  traditions.  Now,  mark  the  manner 
in  which  the  tabernacle  is  to  be  built:  "  as  in 
the  days  of  old:"  that  is,  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ;  and  membership  for  believing 
parents  and  their  infant  children.  In  addition 
to  the  above,  it  is  to  be  built,  or  repaired,  so  that 
it  "  may  possess  the  remnant  of  Udom,  and 
all  the  heathen"  How  strongly  and  irrefra- 
gably  does  this  sustain  the  position  of  the  con- 
tinuation of  the  Jewish  Church  into  the  Gos- 
pel dispensation,  which  forms  now  the  Chris- 
tian Church  !  And  how  beautifully  the  above 
shows  the  connection  of  the  two  great  dispen- 
sations of  the  Church. 

Again:  "Upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my 
Church."  "This  Church,"  says  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, "  was  not  the  Jewish,  for  that  was  built 
long  ago — is  yet  future — I  will  build  it — build 
a  new  Church,  not  repair  an  old  one."  James 
says :  "After  this  I  will  return  and  build  the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  79 

tabernacle  of  David  which  is  fallen  down,  and 
I  will  build  again  the  ruins  thereof,  and  I  will 
set  it  up."  James,  you  are  certainly  mistaken ! 
You  do  not  mean  the  tabernacle  of  David, 
when  you  say,  "  /  will  return  and  build  the 
tabernacle  of  David :"  that  was  long  ago  built! 
You  mean  a  new  one!  What  the  Savior 
meant  by  building  his  Church,  the  apostle 
James  explains  to  be  the  tabernacle  of  David, 
or  the  Jewish  Church, 

Another  objection  is  taken  from  Gal.  iv,  21- 
31  :  "Tell  me,  ye  that  desire  to  be  under  the 
law,  do  ye  not  hear  the  law  ?  For  it  is  writ- 
ten, that  Abraham  had  two  sons  ;  the  one  by  a 
bond-maid,  the  other  by  a  free- woman.  But 
he  who  was  of  the  bond- woman,  was  born 
after  the  flesh ;  but  he  of  the  free  woman  was 
by  promise.  Which  things  are  an  allegory : 
for  these  are  the  two  covenants ;  the  one  from 
the  mount  Sinai,  which  gendereth  to  bondage, 
which  is  Agar.  For  this  Agar  is  mount  Sinai 
in  Arabia,  and  answereth  to  Jerusalem  which 
now  is,  and  is  in  bondage  with  her  children. 
But  Jerusalem  which  is  above  is  free,  which  is 
the  mother  of  us  all.  For  it  is  written,  (Isa. 
liv,)   Rejoice,  thou  barren   that  bearest  not; 


80  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

break  forth  and  cry,  thou  that  travailest  not : 
for  the  desolate  hath  many  more  children  than 
she  which  hath  a  husband.  Now  we,  breth- 
ren, as  Isaac  was,  are  the  children  of  promise. 
But  as  then  he  that  was  born  after  the  flesh 
persecuted  him  that  was  born  after  the  Spirit, 
even  so  it  is  now.  Nevertheless,  what  saith 
the  Scripture  ?  Cast  out  the  bond- woman  and 
her  son  :  for  the  son  of  the  bond- worn  an  shall 
not  be  heir  with  the  son  of  the  free-woman." 
Mr.  Campbell  says,  "  Cast  out — tremen- 
dous words  !  Cast  out  the  bond-woman — the 
old  covenant  compared  to  Hagar.  Disannul  it, 
vacate  it,  lay  it  aside,  reject  it.  Is  this  all  ? 
No,  no.  Cast  out  the  son  of  Hagar,  also  the 
people  of  the  old  covenant"  (Debate  with 
M'Calla,  p.  249.)  The  apostle  here  says  to 
those  who  desire  to  be  under  the  law,  "Where- 
fore, then,  serveth  the  law  ?  It  was  added  (to 
the  Abrahamic  covenant)  because  of  transgres- 
sions, till  the  seed  (Christ)  should  come." 
Then  it  was  to  be  disannulled,  which  is  repre- 
sented by  Hagar  and  her  son — the  Jews  now 
in  bondage,  which  were  to  be  cast  out.  Cast 
out  of  what?  The  Church  of  God  made  vis- 
ible in  the  family  of  Abraham.     But  that  great 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  81 

chart,  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  was  to  remain ! 
The  Sinai  covenant,  formed  subsequently  to 
it,  was  only  temporary.  It  was  to  continue 
only  until  Christ  should  come,  and  act  as  a 
"schoolmaster"  to  lead  us  to  him.  But  the 
Abrahamic  covenant  was  to  be  an  everlasting 
one !  Paul  says :  "And  this  I  say,  that  the 
covenant  (Abrahamic)  that  was  confirmed  be- 
fore of  God  in  Christ,  the  law,  (Sinaie  cove- 
nant,) which  was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years 
after,  (the  Abrahamic  covenant,)  cannot  disan- 
nul, (it,)  that  it  should  make  the  promise  of 
none  effect,"  Gal.  iii,  17 ;  "  But  Jerusalem 
which  is  above  is  free,  which  is  the  mother  of 
us  all,"  Gal.  iv,  26.  Have  we  the  correct 
meaning  of  the  above,  when  we  refer  it  to  the 
Gospel  covenant,  as  it  has  generally  been 
done?  We  think  not;  and  conclude  it  refers 
to  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  which  is  the  mother 
of  the  whole  Church. 

Mr.  Campbell's  whole  argument  is  on  the 
supposition  that  it  refers  to  the  Gospel  cove- 
nant. The  Greek  word  avu>,  (ano,)  translated 
above,  not  only  means  upward,  above,  but  an- 
tecedently, or  before.  The  apostle  here  is 
speaking  of  time,  not  position,  or  place.  Well, 
6 


82  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

we  will  read  it  so :  "  But  Jerusalem,  (the  Abra- 
hamic  covenant,)  which  is  before,  or  antece- 
dent, (to  the  Sinaic  covenant,)  is  free,  which 
is  the  mother  of  us  all."  Paul,  in  his  letter 
to  the  Jews,  further  explains  this  :  "  For  find- 
ing fault  with  them  he  saith,  Behold,  the  days 
come,  saith  the  Lord,  (Jer.  xxxi,)  when  I  will 
make  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel 
and  with  the  house  of  Judah :  not  according 
to  the  covenant  that  I  made  with  their  fathers, 
in  the  day  when  I  took  them  by  the  hand  to 
lead  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt;  because 
they  continued  not  in  my  covenant,  and  I  re- 
garded them  (Jewish  people)  not,  saith  the 
Lord.  For  this  is  the  covenant  that  I  will 
make  with  the  house  of  Israel,  (Church,)  after 
those  days,  saith  the  Lord ;  I  will  put  my  laws 
into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in  their  hearts  : 
and  I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they  shall  be 
to  me  a  people,"  Heb.  viii,  8-10.  Here  the 
date  of  the  covenant  made  with  the  house  of 
Israel,  when  the  Lord  took  them  by  the  hand 
to  lead  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  desig- 
nates it  from  all  other  covenants  made  with  that 
people.  This  is  called  the  Sinaic.  "Behold 
the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  make  a 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  83 

new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel,"  (Jew- 
ish Church.)  This  is  the  Gospel  covenant. 
Now,  observe,  the  Sinaic  covenant,  or  the  giv- 
ing of  the  law,  was  made  with  the  house  of 
Israel.  The  Gospel  covenant  was  to  be  made 
with  the  same  house  of  Israel;  therefore,  that 
house  of  Israel,  or  the  Church,  was  to  stand, 
but  pass  into  a  new  dispensation.  Daniel  says, 
"And  in  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God- 
of  heaven  set  up  a  kingdom,  which  shall  never 
be  destroyed,  and  the  kingdom  shall  not  be 
left  to  other  people"  How  strikingly  this 
agrees  with  what  the  angel  Gabriel'  says  to  the 
Virgin  Mary  concerning  Christ:  "He  shall 
reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever,  and  of. 
his  kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end." 

The  difference  between  what  Paul  says  in 
the  eighth  of  Hebrews,  and  the  fourth  of  Gala- 
tians,  is  this :  In  the  latter,  by  the  allegory  of 
Abraham's  two  sons,  the  one  by  a  bond-wo- 
man and  the  other  by  a  free-woman,  the  Abra- 
hamic  and  Sinaic  covenants  are  personified. 
In  the  former,  the  Sinaic  and  Gospel  covenants 
are  set  forth. 

Another  objection,  which  is  this  :  "If  chil- 
dren are  Church  members,  and  have  a  right  to 


84  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

baptism,  they  should,  also,  be  admitted  to  the 
communion  table."  It  does  not  necessarily 
follow,  if  they  are  admitted  to  baptism,  that 
they  must  be  admitted  to  the  eucharist.  This 
point  ought  to  be  proved,  instead  of  taking  it 
for  granted.  We  deny  the  position,  and  call 
for  the  proof. 

But,  in  the  meantime,  in  order  to  throw 
some  light  on  the  subject,  let  us  look  at  the 
practice  of  the  Church  before  the  coming  of 
Christ.  She  had  two  sacraments,  circumcis- 
ion and  the  passover — like  the  Church  now, 
baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper.  Well,  what 
was  the  practice  of  the  Church  before  the  com- 
ing of  Christ  ?  The  children  of  the  Jews  and 
proselytes  were  members  of  it,  and  were 
circumcised.  If  they  were  members  of  the 
Church,  and  had  a  right  to  circumcision,  then 
they  must  have  had  a  right  to  the  passover. 
Was  this  the  fact?  No  !  They  were  not  ad- 
mitted to  the  passover,  until  they  were  able  to 
understand  the  meaning  of  it.  The  age  at 
which  they  were  admitted  was  twelve  years : 
"And  when  he  (Christ)  was  twelve  years  old, 
they  went  up  to  Jerusalem  after  the  custom  of 
the  feast,  (passover;)  and  when  they  had  ful- 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  85 

filled  the  days,"  &c,  Luke  ii,  14,  15.  Dr. 
Clarke  says :  "  Probably  this  was  the  very 
age  at  which  the  male  children  were  obligated 
to  appear  before  the  Lord  at  the  three  public 
festivals — eight  days  in  the  whole — one  was 
the  passover,  and  the  other  seven  the  days  of 
unleavened  bread."  We  clearly  discover  from 
this,  that  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  they 
should  be  admitted  to  the  communion,  though 
they  have  a  right  to  baptism  :  they  should  not 
partake  of  the  eucharist,  until  they  arrive  at 
that  age  that  they  can  discern  the  Lord's  body, 
1  Cor.  xi,  29. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me — Proselyte 
baptism — Example — Children  capable  of  entering  into 
covenant. 

"And  they  brought  young  children  to  him, 
that  he  should  touch  them ;  and  his  disciples 
rebuked  those  that  brought  them.  But  when 
Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  much  displeased,  and  said 
unto  them,  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  God,  (Church.)     Verily  I  say 


86  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the 
kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not 
enter  therein,"  Mark  x,  13-15;  Matth.  xix, 
13;  Luke  xviii,  15. 

Those  little  children  were  of  such  tender  age, 
that  they  were  brought  to  the  Savior  by  their 
parents,  and  he  took  them  up  in  his  arms  p"d 
blessed  them.  The  disciples  rebuked  those 
that  brought  them ;  but  the  Savior  was  much 
displeased  at  it,  and  said,  "  Suffer  the  little 
children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them 
not;"  meaning,  doubtless,  all  little  children,  in 
all  future  time ;  giving,  at  the  same  time,  a 
reason  to  his  disciples,  which  was  a  quietus  to 
all  their  objections,  that  they  belonged  to  his 
Church :  "  For  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God ;" 
therefore,  forbid  them  not,  but  suffer  them  to 
come  unto  me.  How  can  we  forbid  a  little 
child  from  coming  unto  the  Savior,  except  it  is 
ecclesiastically,  or  ceremonially,  or  by  bap- 
tism 1  Again  :  how  can  the  Church  suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  Christ,  except  it  is 
by  baptism?  But  our  opponents  say,  "It 
means  of  such  like,  or  adults  of  child-like  dis- 
position ;  such  as  humility,  meekness,  and 
gentleness."     But  that  is  a  great  mistake  ;  for 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  87 

we  might  as  well  talk  of  faith  and  repentance 
in  a  child,  as  humility,  meekness,  and  gentle- 
ness. But  if  adults  are  to  be  received,  because 
they  are  like  little  children,  little  children  should 
be  received,  because  they  are  like  themselves. 
We  will  illustrate :  Suppose  a  man  were  to 
sell  his  farm  for  one  thousand  dollars :  the 
buyer  proposes  to  pay  him  off  by  giving  him 
ten  bank  bills,  on  a  certain  bank,  of  one  hun- 
dred dollars  each,  which  is  acknowledged  to  be 
good.  But  the  seller,  lest  he  should  be  de- 
ceived, goes  to  the  bank,  and  obtains  a  genuine 
bill.  The  buyer  comes  and  pays  him  down 
the  ten  bills,  according  to  contract.  The  seller 
then  takes  them,  and  compares  them  with  the 
one  he  knows  to  be  genuine,  and  finds  they 
agree,  or  correspond;  he  then  takes  the  ten 
bills,  and  throws  away  the  sample  he  obtained 
from  the  bank !  All  would  acknowledge  he 
has  acted  strangely.  Yet  on  this  principle  our 
opponents  act.  They  will  receive  adults  in 
baptism,  because  they  are  like  "  a  little  child" 
the  genuine  sample,  of  whom  the  Savior  says, 
"  Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God,"  and  then 
turn  right  round  and  reject  the  "little  child." 
This  not  only  shows,  that  little  children  are 


88  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

capable  of  receiving  the  kingdom  of  God,  or  ot 
entering  the  Church,  but  an  adult  must  receive 
it  as  a  little  child.  Now,  how  does  any  person 
receive  the  kingdom  of  God?  or,  how  is  he 
recognized  as  belonging  to  the  visible  Church  1 
All  must  admit,  that  baptism  is  that  ceremony ; 
therefore,  children  ought  to  be  baptized.  I 
will  state  it  in  syllogistic  language : 

Infant  children  are  capable  of  receiving  the 
kingdom  of  God,  or  entering  the  Church  :  but 
none  can  receive  the  kingdom  of  God,  or 
Church,  except  it  is  by  baptism :  therefore, 
infant  children  ought  to  be  baptized. 

The  error  of  our  opponents  is  this :  they 
put  forth  an  adult  as  the  model,  or  sample, 
and  say,  "  Repent,  and  believe,  and  be  bap- 
tized :"  but  children  cannot  repent  and  believe  : 
therefore,  they  should  not  be  baptized.  But 
the  Savior  reverses  it,  and  puts  forth  a  "little 
child,"  as  the  model,  or  sample,  and  says, 
"Verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Whosoever  shall  not 
receive  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  a  little  child, 
shall  not  enter  therein."  But  some  of  our  op- 
ponents say,  "The  kingdom  of  God  means 
the  state  of  glory  in  the  future  world  ;  and  little 
children  are  fit  subjects  for  it."     This  is  grant 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  89 

ing  them  the  greater,  whilst  they  deny  to  them 
the  lesser.  They  admit,  that  children  are 
proper  subjects  for  heaven ;  but  deny  them  a 
place  in  the  road  to  get  there !  Instead  of 
receiving  them  in  the  name  of  Christ,  we  regret 
their  practice  has  the  appearance  of  forbidding 
their  coming  to  the  Savior,  and  a  place  in  the 
road  that  leads  to  a  better  world. 

"YVe  learn  two  facts  from  the  above  :  1.  That 
little  children  are  capable  of  receiving  the  king- 
dom of  God.  2.  But  the  way  and  manner  that 
they  receive  it,  is  the  very  way  and  manner 
adults  are  to  receive  it;  therefore,  no  differ- 
ence should  be  in  the  practice  of  the  Church 
between  them,  in  reference  to  baptism. 

The  following  will  throw  additional  light  on 
the  above  :  "  And  he  took  a  child,  and  set  him 
in  the  midst  of  them  :  and  when  he  had  taken 
him  in  his  arms,  he  said  unto  them,  "Whoso- 
ever shall  receive  one  of  such  children  in  my 
name,  receiveth  me,"  Mark  ix,  36,  37.  What 
does  this  mean?  Why,  the  Church,  or  pastor, 
or  minister,  that  receives  little  children,  receives 
Christ.  We  ask  the  question,  Do  the  Baptist 
Churches,  or  ministers,  receive  little  children 
in  their  Churches,  in  the  name  of  Christ  ?     All 


90  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

must  answer,  No  !  The  ceremony  of  receiving 
infant  children,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  with 
them,  is  unknown.  But  why  shall  we  receive 
little  children  in  the  name  of  Christ?  Let  the 
Savior  himself  explain.  Hear  him :  "  Who- 
soever shall  give  you  a  cup  of  water  to  drink 
in  my  name,  because  ye  belong  to  Christ,  ver- 
ily I  say  unto  you,  he  shall  not  lose  his  reward," 
Mark  ix,  41.  Then,  to  receive  them  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  is  because  they  belong  to  him. 
And  if  so,  they  have  a  right  to  take  upon  them 
the  Christian  name.  This  only  can  be  done 
in  holy  baptism. 

Proselyte  baptism.  This  was  practiced, 
probably,  from  the  time  of  Moses  ;  therefore, 
the  baptism  of  children,  when  the  Savior  was 
upon  the  earth,  was  not  a  novelty.  When  they 
received  a  Gentile  family  into  the  Jewish 
Church,  the  males  were  circumcised,  all  were 
baptized,  both  males  and  females,  and  offered  a 
gift. 

As  proselyte  baptism  has  been  denied  by 
some  Baptist  authors,  I  will  here  introduce 
some  authority. 

Calmet  (see  his  Dictionary)  says,  "The 
Jews  required  three  things  for  a  complete  pros- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  91 

elyte,  baptism,  circumcision,  and  sacrifice; 
but  for  women,  only  baptism  and  sacrifice." 

"  When  a  Gentile  became  a  proselyte  of 
righteousness,  three  ceremonies  were  used : 
namely,  circumcision,  baptism,  and  sacrifice." 
(Witsius.) 

"  The  Jews,  in  our  Savior's  time,  were  very 
sedulous  to  proselyte  the  Gentiles  to  their  re- 
ligion ;  and  when  thus  proselyted,  they  were 
initiated  by  baptism,  sacrifice,  and  circumcis- 
ion."    (Prideaux.) 

"  The  custom  of  the  Jews,  in  all  ages,  has 
been  to  receive  their  heathen  proselytes  by 
baptism,  as  well  as  circumcision."  (Stack- 
house.) 

"  Whenever  Gentiles  were  proselyted  to  the 
Jewish  religion,  they  were  initiated  by  circum- 
cision, the  offering  of  sacrifice,  and  baptism. 
They  were  all  baptized,  males  and  females, 
adults  and  infants.  This  was  the  constant 
practice,  from  the  time  of  Moses,  to  that  of 
our  Savior,  and  from  that  period  to  the  present 
day."     (Dr.  Wall.) 

"  The  apostles  knew  well,  that  the  Jews  not 
only  circumcised  the  children  of  proselytes, 
but  baptized  them.     The  children,  and  even 


92  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

infants,  of  proselytes,  were  baptized  among  the 
Jews.  They  were,  in  consequence,  reputed 
clean,  and  partakers  of  the  blessings  of  the  cov 
enant."     (Dr.  Adam  Clarke.) 

"I  have  always  understood  that  Marmonides 
is  perfectly  correct,  when  he  says,  « In  all  ages, 
when  a  heathen  (or  stranger  by  nature)  was 
willing  to  enter  into  the  covenant  of  Israel,  and 
gather  himself  under  the  wings  of  the  majesty 
of  God,  and  take  upon  himself  the  yoke  of  the 
law,  he  must  be  first  circumcised,  and  secondly, 
baptized,  and  thirdly,  bring  a  sacrifice ;  or,  if 
the  party  were  a  woman,  then  she  must  be  first 
baptized,  and  secondly,  bring  a  sacrifice.'  He 
adds,  «  At  that  present  time,  when  (the  temple 
being  destroyed)  there  is  no  sacrificing,  a 
stranger  must  be  first  circumcised,  and  second- 
ly, baptized.'  It  does  not  rest  on  the  testimony 
of  Jewish  records  solely  ;  it  was  in  circulation 
among  the  heathen,  as  we  learn  from  the  clear 
and  demonstrative  testimony  of  Epictetus,  who 
has  these  words :  (he  is  blaming  those  who 
assume  the  profession  of  philosophy,  without 
acting  up  to  it :)  '  Why  do  you  call  yourself  a 
Stoic?  Why  do  you  deceive  the  multitude? 
Why  do  you  pretend  to  be  a  Greek,  when  you 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  93 

are  a  Jew  ?  a  Syrian  ?  an  Egyptian  ?  And 
when  we  say  any  one  is  wavering,  we  are  wont 
to  say,  This  is  not  a  Jew,  but  acts  one.  But 
when  he  assumes  the  sentiment  of  one  who  has 
been  baptized  and  circumcised,  then  he  both 
really  is,  and  is  called,  a  Jew.  Thus  we  falsify 
our  profession  :  are  Jews  in  name  ;  but  in  real- 
ity, something  else.'  "     (Watson.) 

Our  opponents  say :  "Where  is  your  ex- 
ample for  infant  baptism  ?"  "Why,  we  have 
the  example  of  our  heavenly  Father  himself, 
in  the  baptism  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  the 
Red  Sea:  "Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not 
that  ye  should  be  ignorant  how  that  all  our 
fathers  were  under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed 
through  the  sea;  and  were  all  baptized  unto 
Moses  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea,"  1  Cor.  x, 
1,  2.  The  Jewish  nation,  when  they  passed 
through  the  Red  Sea,  was  composed  of  men, 
women  and  children.  They  were  all  baptized 
unto  Moses.  That  dispensation  of  the  Church 
was  partial — it  was  confined  to  a  single  nation  ; 
6ut  when  the  Church  was  presented  to  the 
world  in  its  perfect  form,  by  the  great  Head 
of  the  same,  after  his  resurrection,  he  com- 
missioned them  as  follows :   "-  Go  ye,  there- 


94  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

fore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in 
the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  Church  was  no 
longer  to  be  confined  to  the  descendants  of 
Jacob,  but  to  extend  to  all  nations.  Can  we 
conceive  of  a  commission  more  extensive, 
which  has  for  its  object  human  subjects,  than 
the  above  ?  If  you  wish  to  know  who  are 
proper  subjects,  or  may  be  baptized,  inquire 
who  compose  all  nations.  *The  answer  must 
be,  men,  women,  and  children.  Then  men, 
women,  and  children  may  be  baptized.  The 
Savior  says,  "  baptizing  them."  The  pro- 
noun "  them  "  has  for  its  antecedent  the  noun 
"nations:"  it  is,  therefore,  evident  that  the 
Savior  intended  to  give  to  his  disciples  a  com- 
mission to  baptize  children. 

Mr.  A.  Campbell,  instead  of  making  the 
Savior  say,  "  Go  and  disciple  all  nations," 
makes  him  say,  "  Go  and  make  disciples  out 
of  all  nations."  But  the  Greek  sx,  which  is 
sometimes  used  to  signify  out  of,  is  not  in 
the  text ;  and  had  it  been  omitted  by  an  ellip- 
sis, then  the  words  panta  ta  ethne,  in  the 
accusative  case,  would  have  been  panton  ton 
ethnon,  in  the  genitive.    Every  linguist  knows 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  95 

that  the  clause,  "  Go  teach  all  nations,"  means, 
"  Go  disciple  all  nations." 

"We  are,  also,  met  with  another  objection 
drawn  from  the  Greek  text,  superior  to  the 
former  only  in  absurdity.  It  is  the  following : 
1  The  Greek  nouns  panta  ta  ethne,  all  nations, 
are  in  the  neuter ;  autous,  them,  is  in  the  mas- 
culine gender ;  and,  as  those  words  do  not 
agree  in  gender,  then  we  must  look  for  some 
noun  which  agrees  with  autous,  and  that  is  the 
noun  mathetas,  disciples,  included  in  the  verb 
matheteusate.'  We  may  pronounce,  without 
fear  of  contradiction,  that  this  objection  pre- 
sents so  many  glaring  grammatical  absurdities 
to  any  one  who  understands  Greek,  that  it  is 
utterly  unnecessary  to  offer  a  single  criticism 
in  order  to  expose  them.  We  will  only  men- 
tion, that  a  mode  of  expression  similar  to  that 
in  the  text  is  found  in  the  Greek  of  Psalms  ix, 
19,  20.  Many  more  might  be  added."  (El- 
liott on  Baptism,  p.  56.) 

Children  are  capable  of  entering  into  cove- 
nant. "Keep  therefore  the  words  of  this  cove- 
nant, and  do  them,  that  ye  may  prosper  in  all 
that  ye  do.  Ye  stand  this  day  all  of  you  be- 
fore the   Lord   your  God ;    your  captains  of 


90  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

your  tribes,  your  elders,  your  officers,  with  all 
the  men  of  Israel,  your  little  ones,  your  wives, 
and  thy  stranger  that  is  in  thy  camp,  from  the 
hewer  of  thy  wood,  unto  the  drawer  of  thy 
water :  that  thou  shouldest  enter  into  covenant 
with  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  into  his  oath, 
which  the  Lord  thy  God  maketh  with  thee 
this  day;  that  he  may  establish  thee  to-day 
for  a  people  unto  himself,  and  that  he  may  be 
unto  thee  a  God,  as  he  hath  said  unto  thee,  and 
as  he  hath  sworn  unto  thy  fathers,  to  Abra- 
ham, to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob.  Neither  with 
you  only  do  I  make  this  covenant  and  this 
oath  ;  but  with  him  that  standeth  here  with  us 
this  day  before  the  Lord  our  God,  and  also 
with  him  that  is  not  here  with  us  this  day," 
Deut.  xxix,  9-15.  This  covenant  was  not 
only  binding  on  the  Jewish  congregation,  at 
that  time,  little  children  and  all,  but  in  all  sub- 
sequent time.  Again:  "In  the  number  of  all 
the  males  from  a  month  old  and  upward,  were 
eight  thousand  and  six  hundred,  keeping  the 
charge  of  the  sanctuary,"  Num.  iii,  28.  If 
children  were  once  capable  of  entering  into 
covenant,  and  were  members  of  the  Church  of 
God,  it  is  evident  they  had  all  the  prerequisite 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  97 

qualifications,  and  are  now  capable,  through 
their  parents,  of  entering  into  covenant  rela- 
tions with  their  God,  and  thus  be  acknowl- 
edged and  recognized  as  members  of  his 
Church 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  practice  of  the  apostles  in  baptizing  whole  fam- 
ilies— Lydia  and  her  household — The  jailer  and  all 
his — Children  in  a  state  of  justification. 

The  "Acts  of  the  Apostles,"  is  a  very  brief 
history  of  the  acts  and  doings  of  those  de- 
voted men,  merely  sufficient  to  show  their 
doctrine  and  practice.  Their  household,  or 
family  baptisms,  show  that  it  was  their  uniform 
custom  to  baptize  whole  families  on  the  faith 
of  the  parents.  There  are  nine  cases  of  bap- 
tism mentioned  as  the  acts  and  doings  of  those 
holy  men  after  the  resurrection  of  Christ: 
four  of  them  were  family  baptisms. 

It  cannot  be  supposed  that  the  apostles  bap- 
tized only  those  nine  cases  thus  mentioned, 
but  hundreds  of  others,  which  are  not  recorded. 
This  being  true,  we  cannot  suppose  the  four 
cases  of  family  baptism  were  the  only  house- 
7 


98  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

hold  baptisms  performed  by  them.  The  fam- 
ily baptisms  bear  the  proportion  of  four  to  five, 
nearly  one  half  of  the  whole  number.  From 
the  above,  what  is  the  irresistible  conclusion 
to  which  we  must  arrive  ?  Why,  it  was  their 
uniform  practice  to  baptize  all  the  children  of 
believing  parents.  Like  the  practice  among 
the  Jews:  when  a  heathen  came  into  the 
Church,  he  came  with  all  his  family,  as  we 
have  already  shown.  How  strikingly  this 
accords  with  the  practice  of  the  Pedo-Baptist 
Churches!  When  a  heathen,  or  any  othei 
person,  renounces  the  world,  and  professes 
faith  in  Christ,  he  comes  into  the  Church,  with 
all  his  children.  This  is  not  the  practice  of 
the  Baptist  Churches.  The  language  would 
not  be  suitable  to  their  operations.  To  say, 
"  such  a  man  believed,  and  he,  and  all  his 
household,  or  children,  were  baptized,"  does 
not  apply  to  Baptist  Churches. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  every  member  of 
those  families  mentioned  above  was  baptized ; 
and  if  there  were  any  infant  children  in  any  of 
them,  they  were  of  course  baptized;  and  if 
they  were  not  baptized,  doubtless,  that  excep- 
tion would   have   been    made.     For  instance: 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  99 

"And  the  man  Elkanah,  and  all  his  house, 
went  up  to  offer  unto  the  Lord  the  yearly 
sacrifice,  and  his  vow.  But  Hannah  went  not 
up;  'for  she  said  unto  her  husband,  (Elkanah,) 
I  will  not  go  up  until  the  child  be  weaned,  and 
then  I  will  bring  him,  that  he  may  appear  be- 
fore the  Lord,  and  there  abide  for  ever,"  1 
Sam.  i,  21,  22.  It  is  represented,  that  those 
families  were  baptized  on  the  faith  of  the 
parents,  which  presupposes  that  those  house- 
holds were  composed,  in  part,  of  infant  chil- 
dren ;  for,  if  they  were  all  adults,  it  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  something  would  have 
been  said  of  their  faith,  and  repentance,  &c. 
Another  important  idea  is  the  following:  The 
apostolic  age  lasted  about  sixty  years ;  and  in 
all  the  acts  and  doings  of  the  apostles,  we  have 
no  account  of  the  baptism  of  any  adult  person 
who  was  brought  up  by  Christian  parents! 
How  are  we  to  account  for  this  ?  Only  on  the 
supposition  that  it  was  the  universal  practice 
of  the  apostles  to  baptize  whole  families — all 
the  children  of  believing  parents  ;  and  when 
they  would  arrive  at  adult  years,  there  would 
be  none  to  be  baptized. 

We  will  examine  some  of  those  household 


100  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

baptisms  more  particularly:  "And  a  certain 
woman  named  Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  of  the 
city  of  Thyatira,  which  worshiped  God,  heard 
us:  whose  heart  the  Lord  opened,  that  she 
attended  unto  the  things  which  were  spoken  of 
Paul.  And  when  she  was  baptized,  and  her 
household,  she  besought  us,  saying,  If  ye  have 
judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come 
into  my  house,  and  abide  there,"  Acts  xvi, 
14,  15. 

It  is  evident  Lydia  was  a  householder,  had 
a  family,  and  they  were  baptized  on  her  faith : 
the  Lord  opened  her  heart,  "  that  she  attended 
unto  the  things  which  were  spoken  of  Paul." 
Baptism,  doubtless,  was  explained  and  en- 
joined. She  said:  "If  ye  have  judged  me 
(not  us)  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come  into  my 
house,  and  abide  there."  How  were  they  to 
judge  of  her  faithfulness  ?  From  the  fact  that 
she  believed,  and  went  forward  in  baptism,  and 
then  had  her  household,  or  children,  baptized. 
This  is  a  pretty  strong  case  of  infant  baptism. 

Our  opponents  find  great  difficulty  in  ma- 
king out  a  family  for  Lydia  without  allowing 
her  children.    They  say,  "  She  was  from  Thy 
atira,  and  carried  on  a  coloring,  or  dying  estab 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  101 

lishment,  in  Philippi,  and  her  household  con- 
sisted of  journeymen  dyers."  If  so,  they 
were  baptized  on  the  faith  of  Lydia !  The 
Lord  opened  Lydia's  heart,  and  then  Paul  and 
Silas  took  those  gentlemen  journeymen  dyers 
and  baptized  them ! 

The  baptism  of  the  jailer  and  his  family. 
"And  he  took  them  the  same  hour  of  the 
night,  and  washed  their  stripes  ;  and  was  bap- 
tized, he  and  all  his,  straightway,"  Acts  xvi, 
33.  The  jailer  was  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  the  Christian  religion  by  the  miraculous 
display  of  divine  power  in  the  earthquake, 
and  in  the  opening  of  the  prison  doors,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  the  prisoners  not  escaping. 
He  exclaimed:  "Sirs,  what  must  I  do  to  be 
saved?"  They  told  him  to  believe  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  he  and  all  his  house 
should  be  saved.  He  then  took  them  out  of 
the  inner  prison  into  the  outer;  and  Paul 
preached  to  all  them  that  were  present  the 
word  of  the  Lord;  and  then  the  jailer,  the 
same  hour  of  the  night,  washed  their  stripes, 
and  was  baptized,  he  and  all  his,  straightway. 
What  is  the  natural  construction  of  the  phrase, 
"  all  his  ?"    Why,  his  family  of  children  ;  and 


102  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

the  probability  is  there  were  some  small  chil- 
dren, from  the  fact  he  was  a  jailer,  which  was 
an  office  of  one  who  was  in  the  prime  of  life. 
Our  opponents  object  to  the  above  view,  and 
say:  "And  when  he  had  brought  them  into  his 
house,  he  set  meat  before  them,  and  rejoiced, 
believing  in  God,  with  all  his  house."  They 
wish  to  make  the  impression  that  the  sentence, 
**  and  rejoiced,  believing  in  God,  with  all  his 
house,"  means  all  were  adulis,  and  capable  of 
rejoicing  and  believing.  But  reference  to  the 
Greek  text  will  clearly  disprove  the  above. 
The  word  rejoice,  ^yaWaaoaro,  is  in  the  middle 
voice:  1.  a.  3.  per.  sin.  ind.,  which  is  from 
ayar,  very  much,  and  aWio^icu,  to  leap,  which 
means,  to  leap  for  joy,  show  delight  by  ges- 
tures, to  exult,  rejoice,  triumph.  As  it  is  in 
the  middle  voice,  and  singular  number,  the 
action,  or  rejoicing,  is  confined  to  the  jailer: 
he  leaped  for  joy,  or  rejoiced  :  that  is,  the 
jailer  himself  leaped,  and  shouted  aloud  for 

In  reference  to  believing,  7tt7ttcit£vx<x><;,  which 
is  a  perfect  active  participle,  in  the  singular 
number,  and  masculine  gender;  and  a  literal 
translation  would  be:    he   (the  jailer)  having 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  103 

believed,  rejoiced  in  God,  with  all  his  house. 
Nothing  is  said  of  believing  and  rejoicing,  only 
as  it  refers  to  the  jailer  himself. 

The  regular  Baptist  Church  baptize  on  a 
profession  of  faith  in  Christ:  that  is,  the  can- 
didate must  be  in  a  state  of  justification.  Mr. 
Campbell  and  his  disciples  baptize  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins.  Mr.  Campbell  says,  "  The 
believer  rises  out  of  the  water,  is  born  of  water, 
enters  the  world  a  second  time — he  enters  it  as 
innocent,  as  clean,  as  unspotted  as  an  angel." 
(Debate  with  M'Calla,  p.  137.)  These  differ- 
ent opinions,  entertained  by  the  several  sects 
of  the  Baptists,  at  present  we  shall  not  notice, 
but  will  leave  them  to  settle  those  difficulties 
among  themselves. 

But,  if  the  position  is  correct,  that  the 
proper  candidate  for  baptism  should  be  in  a 
state  of  justification,  what  better  argument  can 
we  have  for  infant  baptism  ?  For  infants  are, 
also,  in  a  state  of  justification.  Paul  says: 
"Therefore,  as  by  the  offense  of  one  judg- 
ment came  upon  all  men  to  condemnation, 
even  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one  the  free 
gift  came  upon  all  men  unto  justification  of 
life,"  Rom.  v,  18.    Here  is  proof  that  all  men, 


104  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

when  in  a  state  of  infancy,  are  in  a  state  of 
justification  of  life  :  therefore,  if  adults  are 
to  be  baptized,  because  they  are  in  a  state  of 
justification,  infants  should,  also,  be  baptized, 
because  they  are  in  the  same  state.  I  will 
state  it  in  syllogistic  language:  All  persons 
that  are  in  a  state  of  justification,  are  proper 
subjects  of  Christian  baptism :  infants  are 
in  a  state  of  justification,  therefore,  infants  are 
proper  subjects  of  Christian  baptism. 

Church  members  are  called  by  the  Greek 
word  ayta,  (agia,)  or  "  holy,"  Eph.  i,  1 ;  Phil, 
i,  1  ;  Col.  i,  2;  1  Thes.  v,  27;  Rom.  viii,  27; 
Eph.  vi,  18  ;  Rom.  xii,  13,  xv,  25 ;  2  Cor.  viii, 
4,  ix,  12.  This  term,  also,  is  applied  by  Paul 
to  children :  "  For  the  unbelieving  husband  is 
sanctified  by  the  (believing)  wife,  and  the  unbe- 
lieving wife  is  sanctified  by  the  (believing)  hus- 
band :  else  were  your  children  unclean ;  but 
now  are  they  (ayia)  holy,"  1  Cor.  vii,  14. 
The  question,  doubtless,  was  propounded  to 
Paul  to  determine  the  relation  of  children  to 
the  Church  where  only  one  parent  was  a  be- 
liever: "The  children  of  believing  parents  I 
know  are  members  of  the  Church,  and  have  a 
right  to  baptism  ;  but  what  relation  does  mine 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  105 

sustain :  my  wife,  or  my  husband,  is  an  unbe- 
liever ?"  The  apostle  says  the  marriage  rela- 
tion is  sanctified  by  the  believing  parent,  and 
their  children  sustain  the  same  relation  to  the 
Church  as  if  both  parents  were  believers.  The 
term  "unclean"  is  used  in  reference  to  the 
heathen,  and  others,  who  were  either  literally, 
or  legally  so  ;  therefore,  were  unfit  for  the  con- 
gregation of  the  righteous,  and  sanctuary  of 
the  Lord.  The  term  "holy"  must  mean  a 
literal,  or  natural  holiness,  or  an  ecclesiastical, 
or  ceremonial  holiness ;  and,  as  our  Baptist 
friends  do  not  contend  for  a  literal,  or  natural 
purity,  or  holiness  of  infants,  then  it  must 
mean  they  are  ceremonially  holy.  If  so,  surely 
they  have  a  right  to  that  ordinance,  or  cere- 
mony, which   represents  that   state :    namely, 

BAPTISM. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

No  controversy  on  infant  baptism  in  the  first  ages  of 
the  Church — History  of  infant  baptism. 

In  the  first  ages  of  the  Christian  Church 
there  were  schisms,  and  divisions,  and  con- 
troversies, perhaps  on  almost   every  point  in 


106  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

theology.  Many  of  those  controversies  have 
been  preserved.  But  one  thing  is  remarkable  : 
there  was  none  on  the  subject  of  infant  bap- 
tism !  There  is  a  perfect  silence  on  that  sub- 
ject. How  are  we  to  account  for  it?  Why, 
they  were  all  of  one  mind.  It  was  admitted 
by  all  that  infants  should  be  baptized,  and  that 
by  the  command  of  the  apostles 

Mr.  Campbell  says :  "  Tertullian  was  the 
first  man  that  mentions  infant  baptism,  and  he 
opposed  it."  Tertullian  flourished  A.  D.  204, 
a  little  over  one  hundred  years  after  the  apos- 
tles ;  for  it  is  believed  John  wrote  his  Gospel 
A.  D.  99,  or  100.  It  is  evident,  if  infant  bap- 
tism were  introduced  into  the  Church  as  an 
innovation  upon  the  law  of  baptism,  it  must 
have  been  done  between  the  time  of  the  apos- 
tles and  Tertullian — a  space  of  a  little  more 
than  one  hundred  years!  Mr.  Campbell  says: 
"  Yes,  of  44  writers,  called  orthodox,  besides 
a  great  many  called  heterodox,  who  lived,  and 
taught,  and  wrote,  from  the  apostle  John's 
time  till  the  time  of  Tertullian,  not  one  men- 
tions infant  baptism."  (Debate  with  M'Calla, 
p.  366.) 

What  do  we   learn  from  the  above  admis- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  107 

sion  ?  That  Tertullian  was  the  first  to  men- 
tion infant  baptism,  as  then  being  practiced  in 
the  Church.  We,  then,  are  enabled  to  trace 
infant  baptism  back  within  one  hundred  years 
of  the  time  of  the  apostles,  from  the  showing 
of  our  opponents.  It  is  evident,  if  infant  bap- 
tism were  introduced  into  the  Church  as  an 
innovation,  it  must  have  been  between  the 
time  of  John  the  divine  and  Tertullian.  Mr. 
Campbell  says,  in  that  time  forty-four  ortho- 
dox writers,  besides  a  great  many  others,  lived, 
taught,  and  wrote,  and  not  one  of  them  men- 
tions  infant  baptism.  Is  it  possible  that  those 
writers  could  have  beheld  infant  baptism  come 
into  the  Church  as  an  innovation,  and  not  one 
of  them,  out  of  so  many,  raise  a  warning 
voice  !  Many  of  those  writers  were  baptized, 
perhaps,  by  the  apostles  themselves ;  their 
fathers  associated  with  those  holy  men,  and 
conversed  freely  with  them  on  every  subject 
connected  with  our  holy  religion.  Perhaps 
some  of  those  writers  themselves  had  the  dis- 
tinguished privilege  of  an  acquaintance  with 
them,  and  had  heard  them  teach  and  preach 
the  doctrines  of  Christ;  and  it  is  very  prob- 
able many  of  them  died  martyrs  to  the  cause 


108  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

of  Christianity.  Can  it  be  supposed  that  those 
forty-four  orthodox  writers,  with  a  great  num- 
ber of  others,  could  have  seen  infant  baptism 
come  into  the  Church  as  an  innovation,  with- 
out some  one  of  them  declaring  against  it ! 

Lay  prejudice  aside,  the  case  is  a  plain  one. 
We  have  traced  infant  baptism  back  so  nigh 
the  apostles'  time  as  one  hundred  years,  by  the 
testimony  of  our  opponents  themselves.  If, 
then,  it  ever  were  introduced  into  the  Church 
as  an  innovation  upon  the  design  of  baptism, 
is  it  probable,  or  even  possible,  those  writers 
could  have  witnessed  it  without  declaring 
against  it?  It  is  very  evident  those  writers 
did  not  view  infant  baptism  as  our  opponents 
do,  or  they  would  at  once  have  denounced  it. 
Did  you  ever  hear  an  effort  made  by  a  Bap- 
tist on  the  subject  of  baptism,  without  his  de- 
nouncing infant  baptism  in  very  plain,  and 
sometimes  severe  terms  ? 

Mr.  Campbell  says :  "  Tertullian  opposed 
infant  baptism."  Not  absolutely  so.  He  only 
advised  the  delay  of  the  baptism  of  infants,  as 
well  as  that  of  unmarried  persons.  From  the 
superstitious  notions  which  he  had  conceived 
concerning  its  efficacy,  he  believed  it  to  be  a 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  109 

saving  ordinance  :  it  washed  away  all  sin ; 
therefore,  the  nigher  baptism  came  to  death 
the  better.  Tertullian  admits,  if  a  child  were 
in  danger  of  dying,  it  should  be  baptized. 

HISTORY  OF  INFANT  BAPTISM. 

SECOND   CENTURY. 

"Justin  Martyr,  who  was  converted  to 
Christianity  A.  D.  132,  and  suffered  martyr- 
dom A.  D.  167,  represents  baptism  coming  in 
the  place  of  circumcision.  In  his  apology  for 
the  Christians  before  the  emperor  Antonius 
Pius,  near  the  beginning,  he  has  these  remark- 
able words  :  '  Several  persons  among  us,  sixty 
and  seventy  years  old,  and  ol  both  sexes,  who 
were  discipled  ^/xa^tsv^aav,  ematheteuthesan) 
to  Christ  in  their  childhood,  and  remain  uncor- 
rupted.'  This  is  the  same  word  made  use  of 
in  the  great  commission  to  baptize :  Go  and 
make  disciples  (fxa^t tvcsats,  matheteusate)  all 
nations ;  and  the  mode  to  make  disciples  was 
by  baptism  ;  and  this  was  done,  says  Justin 
Martyr,  in  their  childhood.  The  time  they 
were  discipled  was  about  the  middle  of  the 
apostolic  age.  This  must  be  a  clear  proof  of 
infant  baptism  at  the  time  of  the  apostles." 

"  Iren\eus,  a  disciple  of  Poly  carp,  who  was 


110  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

a  disciple  of  John  the  divine,  says :  '  Christ 
came  to  save  all  persons  who  are  regenerated 
unto  God :  infants,  little  ones,  youths,  and 
elderly  persons.'  That  by  the  word  renascor, 
to  regenerate,  he  means  baptism,  is  plain  from 
his  use  of  the  word  in  another  place,  where  he 
says :  ■  When  Christ  gave  his  apostles  the 
command  of  regenerating  unto  God,  he  said, 
Go  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them.'  " 

THIRD    CENTURY. 

"  Origen  says  :  '  Infants,  by  the  usage  of  the 
Church  are  baptized.  Infants  are  baptized  for 
the  remission  of  sins.  Infants  are  baptized, 
because,  by  the  sacrament  of  baptism,  our  pol- 
lution is  taken  away.  The  Church  had  an 
order,  or  tradition,  from  the  apostles  to  give 
baptism  to  infants.'  (Rom.  viii,  in  sec.  12, 
Com.  in  Epis.  ad  Rom.  lib.  5.)  Origen  was 
born  about  A.  D.  184,  and  died  A.  D.  252, 
was  of  Christian  parents,  a  man  of  extensive 
learning  and  acquaintance  with  the  customs  of 
the  Church.  He  speaks  of  baptism  of  infants 
of  universal  usage." 

The  Council  of  Carthage. — "Fidus,  an 
African  Bishop,  applied  to  Cyprian,  Bishop  of 
Carthage,  to  know,  not  whether  infants  were 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  Ill 

to  be  baptized,  but  whether  their  baptism 
might  take  place  before  the  eighth  day  after 
their  birth,  that  being  the  day  on  which  cir- 
cumcision was  performed  by  the  law  of  Moses. 
This  question  was  considered  in  an  African 
Synod,  held  A.  D.  254,  at  which  sixty-six 
bishops  were  present,  and  it  was  unanimously 
decided,  '  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  defer 
baptism  to  that  day ;  and  that  the  grace  of 
God,  or  baptism,  should  be  given  to  all,  and 
especially  to  infants.'  " 

Can  it  be  supposed  that  a  council,  or  con- 
ference of  sixty-six  grave  bishops,  sitting  only 
about  154  years  after  the  apostles'  time,  could 
unanimously  decree  that  the  grace  of  baptism 
should  be  given  to  all,  especially  to  infants, 
without  infant  baptism  being  of  apostolic  or- 
igin ! 

FOURTH    CENTURY. 

"Ambrose,  who  died  in  A.  D.  375,  when 
commenting  on  Luke  i,  17,  says :  *  But,  per- 
haps this  may  seem  to  be  fulfilled  in  our  time, 
and  in  the  apostles'  time ;  for  that  returning  of 
the  river  waters  backward  toward  the  spring 
head,  which  was  caused  by  Elias,  when  the 
river  was  divided,  (as  the  Scripture  says  Jor- 


112  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

dan  was  driven  back,)  signified  the  sacrament 
of  the  laver  of  salvation,  which  was  afterwards 
to  be  instituted,  by  which  those  infants  that 
are  baptized  are  reformed  back  again  from 
wickedness,  or  a  corrupt  state,  to  the  primitive 
state  of  their  nature.'  " 

"  Gregory  Nazeanzen,  who  died  A.  D. 
389,  declares,  in  his  discourse  on  baptism, 
*  that  infants  are  to  be  baptized  to  consecrate 
them  to  Christ  from  their  infancy.'  " 

FIFTH    CENTURY. 

"  The  fifth  Council  of  Carthage,  held  A.  D. 
401,  declares  in  her  72d  canon,  'that  children 
ought  to  be  baptized,  when  there  is  no  proof, 
nor  testimony,  that  they  have  been  already 
baptized.'  " 

"  Chrysostom,  who  died  in  A.  D.  407,  says, 
(in  his  Horn,  de  Bapt.  Christi,)  «  Persons  may 
be  baptized,  either  in  their  infancy,  in  middle 
age,  or  in  old  age.'  " 

"  Pelagius,  in  his  letter  to  Innocent,  Bishop 
of  Rome,  says  :  '  We  hold  one  baptism,  which 
we  say  ought  to  be  administered  with  the  same 
sacramental  words  to  infants,  as  it  is  to  elder 
persons.'  We  have,  also,  the  following  from 
him :    '  Men   slauder   me,  as  if  I   denied   the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  113 

sacrament  of  baptism  to  infants,  or  did  prom- 
ise the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  some  persons 
without  the  redemption  of  Christ,  which  is  a 
thing  that  I  never  heard  not  even  any  wicked 
heretic  say.'  Pelagius  is  a  witness  of  high 
authority.  He  was  a  man  of  talents,  and  ex- 
tensive learning.  He,  also,  traveled  over  a 
great  part  of  the  Christian  world.  Add  to  this, 
his  heretical  doctrine  of  the  purity  of  human 
nature,  which,  according  to  the  views  of  that 
age  respecting  baptism,  was  logically  opposed 
to  infant  baptism,  yet  he  speaks  of  it  as  prac- 
ticed everywhere,  as  a  custom  which  no  one 
denies." 

"  Ccelestius,  of  the  same  sentiments,  and 
fellow-traveler  with  Pelagius,  when  on  his  trial 
before  the  Council  of  Carthage,  in  A.  D.  410, 
says,  'As  for  infants,  I  always  said  that  they 
stood  in  need  of  baptism,  and  that  they  ought 
to  be  baptized.'  '  Infants  are  to  be  baptized  ac- 
cording to  the  rules  of  the  universal  Church.'  " 

"  Jerome,  who  died  A.  D.  420,  says,  « If 
infants  be  not  baptized,  the  sin  of  omitting  their 
baptism  is  laid  to  their  parents'  charge.'  " 

"Augustine,  who  died  A.  D.  430,  declares  : 
*  Infant  baptism  the  whole  world  practices ;  it 
8 


114  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

was  not  instituted  by  councils,  but  was  ever  in 
use.  The  whole  Church  of  Christ  has  con- 
stantly held,  that  infants  were  baptized  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  Let  no  one  so  much  as 
whisper  any  other  doctrine  in  your  ears :  this 
the  Church  has  always  had,  has  always  held. 
I  have  never  read,  or  heard,  of  any  Christian, 
whether  Catholic  or  sectary,  who  held  other- 
wise.' " 

"Austin.  'Which  the  whole  body  of  the 
Church  holds,  as  delivered  to  them,  in  the  case 
of  little  infants  baptized,  who  cannot  yet  be- 
lieve with  a  heart  to  righteousness,  or  confess 
with  the  mouth  to  salvation,  as  the  thief  could  ; 
nay,  by  their  crying  and  noise,  while  the  sacra- 
ment is  administering,  they  disturb  the  holy 
mysteries,  and  yet  no  Christian  man  of  any 
sort  will  say  they  are  baptized  to  no  purpose.'  " 
(See  Watson  and  Elliott  on  Baptism.) 

All  history,  in  reference  to  this  subject,  goes 
to  establish  the  practice  of  infant  baptism  by 
the  whole  Christian  world.  Pelagins  expressly 
says,  he  "  never  heard  not  even  a  wicked 
heretic  say"  it  was  wrong  to  baptize  infants. 
He  was  a  man  distinguished  for  his  learning, 
and  his  travels  over  the  Christian  world.    An- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  115 

gustine  says,  he  "  never  read,  or  heard"  of 
any  person  who  denied  baptism  to  infants : 
then,  certainly,  there  could  not  have  been  any 
Baptists  at  that  age  of  the  Church. 

"At  the  end  of  the  fourth  century,  the  famous 
controversy  took  place  between  Augustine  and 
Pelagius  concerning  original  sin,  in  which  the' 
uniform  practice  of  baptizing  infants,  from  the 
days  of  the  apostles,  was  admitted  by  both  par- 
ties, although  they  assigned  different  reasons 
for  it."     (Watson.) 

This  was  only  about  three  hundred  years 
after  the  apostles'  time.  Those  learned  men 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the 
Church  during  that  period,  as  well  as  with  the 
doctrines  and  practice  of  the  apostles,  and  they 
both  not  only  admitted  it  was  the  constant 
practice  of  the  Church,  but  they  never  read, 
or  heard,  of  any  person  who  said  it  was  wrong 
to  baptize  infants. 

It  is  now  a  little  over  three  hundred  years 
since  the  Reformation  took  place  under  Lu- 
ther, Melancthon,  Zwingle,  and  others.  Can 
we  now  be  mistaken  as  to  the  doctrines  taught 
by  those  devoted  men,  or  their  practice  ?  No ! 
They  attacked   the   doctrine    of  transubstan- 


116  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

tiation,  and  contended  that  the  laity  should 
have  the  cup  as  well  as  the  bread,  and  they 
practiced  accordingly.  They,  also,  attacked 
the  celibacy  of  the  priests,  both  by  precept 
and  example.  The  whole  Christian  world  are 
well  acquainted  with  the  practice  and  doctrines 
of  those  holy  reformers  ;  so  were  those  de- 
voted fathers  of  the  Church,  which  we  have 
quoted,  living  in  the  second,  third,  fourth,  and 
fifth  centuries,  well  acquainted  with  the  doc- 
trines and  practice  of  the  apostles  and  prim- 
itive Church.  They  all  declare  it  was  the 
uniform  practice  of  the  Church,  from  the  apos- 
tles down,  to  baptize  infants.  It  is  impossible 
to  account  for  this  unanimity,  except  on  the 
supposition  that  the  doctrine  and  practice  of 
infant  baptism  was  of  apostolic  origin. 

During  the  first  four  centuries  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  there  were  divisions,  and  parties, 
and  controversies,  on  almost  every  point  of 
theology  and  usage  of  the  Church  ;  but  not  a 
word  of  dispute  on  the  subject  of  infant  bap- 
tism !  This  is  only  accounted  for  on  the 
ground  that  infant  baptism  was  the  constant 
and  universal  practice  of  the  Church  from  the 
Savior  down. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  117 

Look  at  the  three  great  divisions  of  the  prim- 
itive Church:  namely,  the  Syriae,  the  Greek, 
and  the  Latin.  These  all  practiced  infant 
baptism,  in  every  period  of  their  history,  down 
to  the  present  time.  Our  opponents  say,  "  In- 
fant baptism  is  a  relic  of  Popery,  and  that  Pe- 
do-Baptists  get  their  history  from  that  corrupt 
establishment."  We  have  thought,  when  we 
have  heard  them  palm  that  on  their  congrega- 
tions, they  could  not  be  honest,  or  were  pro- 
foundly ignorant  of  the  subject.  You  will 
observe,  that  of  all  the  authority  we  have 
brought  'forward,  not  one  has  been  from  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  but  all  lived  and 
wrote  some  centuries  before  the  Bishop  of 
Rome  was  declared  universal  Bishop,  which 
was  A.  D.  606 ;  and  this  was  the  same  year 
Mohammed  wrote  the  Alkoran. 

I  will  only  bring  forward  one  more  witness 
on  this  point.  The  celebrated  Dr.  Wall, 
"  who  studied  thoroughly  the  history  of  bap- 
tism, and  who,  as  to  the  mode,  was  even  a 
Baptist,  gives  us,  in  his  history  of  baptism, 
the  following  summary,  as  the  result  of  his 
researches:"  "For  the  first  four  hundred 
years   after    Christ,    there    appears   only   one 


118  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

man  (Tertullian)  who  advises  the  delay  of  in- 
fant baptism  in  some  cases,  one  Gregory,  who 
did,  perhaps,  practice  such  delay  in  the  case 
of  his  own  children;  but  no  society  of  men 
so  thinking,  or  so  practicing,  or  any  one  man 
saying  it  was  unlawful  to  baptize  infants ;  so, 
in  the  next  seven  hundred  years,  there  is  not 
so  much  as  one  man  to  be  found,  who  either 
spoke  for,  or  practiced  such  delay,  but  all  to 
the  contrary.  And  when,  about  the  year  1 130, 
one  sect  among  the  Waldenses,  or  Albigenses, 
declared  against  the  baptism  of  infants,  as  be- 
ing incapable  of  salvation,  the  main  body  of 
that  people  rejected  their  opinion,  and  they  of 
them  who  held  that  opinion,  quickly  dwindled 
away,  and  disappeared  ;  there  being  no  more 
persons  holding  that  tenet  until  the  rising  of 
the  German  Anabaptists  in  the  year  1522." 

Mr.  Watson  says,  according  to  Bishop  Tom- 
line,  the  first  Baptist  Church  was  formed  in 
England  in  1640.  The  first  in  the  United 
States  was  in  1638. 

Our  Baptist  brethren,  we  see  from  the  above, 
have  just  come  into  the  vineyard — a  sect  of  but 
yesterday;  but  from  the  prerogative  they 
take,  and  boasting  dogmas  they  constantly  ex- 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  119 

hibit,  wish  to  make  the  impression  that  they 
have  had  an  existence  for  a  long  time. 

Now,  in  conclusion,  whether  do  the  Bap- 
tist, or  the  Pedo-Baptist  Churches,  resemble 
heaven  most  ?  Look  on  those  high  and  lofty 
plains  of  glory :  there  you  see  little  children 
and  their  parents  associated  together.  Look  to 
the  throne :  there  you  will  see  infant  children 
bowing  with  their  parents,  and  crying,  "Amen, 
alleluiah,  the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth." 
Hearken  to  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb ! 
How  beautifully  infant  voices  symphonize  with 
the  voices  of  that  innumerable  company,  having 
come  up  through  much  tribulation,  and  made 
their  robes  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb ! 

Now,  look  to  the  different  branches  of  the  Pe- 
do-Baptist Church  :  the  Presbyterians,  Luther- 
ans, Episcopalians,  Methodists,  United  Breth- 
ren, Seceders,  Evangelical  Association,  Ger- 
man Reform,  and  all  other  branches.  There 
you  will  see  little  children  in  membership 
with  their  parents.  Look,  now,  to  the  differ- 
ent branches  of  the  Baptist  Church.  No  in- 
fants there  in  membership  with  their  parents  ! 
Which  has  the  greater  resemblance  to  heaven, 
the  Baptist,  or  the  Pedo-Baptist  Church? 


PART  II, 


MODE  OF  BAPTISM. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Definition  of  Bapto  and  Baptizo. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  subject  in  theology 
so  much  discussed,  at  present,  as  the  mode  of 
Christian  baptism.  Some  are  wont  to  make 
the  mode  essential  to  baptism,  whilst  others 
wish  to  make  both  the  mode  and  baptism  itself 
essential  to  salvation. 

Our  Baptist  brethren  say,  "  Immersion  is 
essential  to  baptism,  and  without  baptism  (im- 
mersion) you  do  not  belong  to  the  Church  of 
Christ."  Mr.  Campbell  and  his  disciples  not 
only  contend  for  the  above  position,  but  go 
farther,  and  say,  "  Without  immersion  there  is 
no  remission  of  sins,  or  salvation." 

From  the  high  ground  taken  by  them,  it  is 
a  matter  of  importance  to  the  Pedo-Baptist 
Churches,  and  the  public  in  general,  to  have 
the  subject  carefully  examined,  and  their  errors 
exposed,  and  thus  disabuse  the  public  mind; 
especially  as  immersion  is  made  the  foundation 
of  that   very  reprehensible   system  of  prose- 


124  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

lytism,  so  universally  practiced  by  every  im- 
mersionist  sect ;  for,  it  appears,  they  wish  to 
sustain  themselves  by  making  converts  to  this 
peculiarity  of  their  creed,  as  if  it  were  the 
Alpha  and  Omega  of  religious  duty. 

Suppose  a  person  is  concerned  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  soul,  their  first  object  is  to  direct 
his  attention  to  their  views  on  baptism,  and 
urge  on  him  a  speedy  compliance,  and  be  re- 
ceived into  their  Church,  and  then  the  great 
work  of  salvation,  at  present,  appears  to  be 
accomplished!  Or,  if  members  of  the  Pedo- 
Baptist  Church  shall  occasionally  attend  their 
meetings,  or  shall  associate  with  them,  their 
first  object  will  be  to  repudiate,  or  overthrow 
their  baptism.  The  whole  effort  of  this  labor 
of  love  will  be  to  show  them  they  are  unbap- 
tized.  If  they  shall  be  so  fortunate  as  to  suc- 
ceed in  unsettling  them  on  this  point,  they  are 
ready  to  immerse  them,  and  receive  them  into 
their  Church. 

We  believe  the  mode  of  baptism,  as  taught 
in  the  Scriptures,  and  practiced  by  the  apos- 
tles, was  by  aspersion,  or  affusion:  that  is, 
they  applied  the  water  to  the  candidate  ;  there- 
fore, they  baptized  with   water,  and   not  in 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  125 

water.  The  difference  between  the  practice 
of  the  apostles  and  the  Baptist  Churches  is 
this :  the  former  baptized  with  water,  and  the 
latter  baptize  in  water.  To  baptize  by  im- 
mersion, you  apply  the  candidate  to  the  water, 
and,  consequently,  baptize  in  water.  It  can- 
not be  said,  after  a  person  was  baptized  by  im- 
mersion, that  he  was  baptized  with  water,  but 
was  baptized  in  water  ;  but  it  would  be  correct 
to  say  a  person  was  baptized  with  water,  where 
the  water  was  applied  to  him.  Whenever  the 
Scriptures  speak  of  the  baptism  of  water, 
whether  as  practiced  by  John,  or  the  apostles, 
it  is  said,  "  baptized  ivith  water."  And,  verily, 
to  baptize  with  water,  the  water  must  be  ap- 
plied to  the  subject;  but  to  baptize  by  immer- 
sion, the  subject  is  applied  to  the  water. 

There  is  a  rule  of  the  Greek  language, 
which,  in  our  mind,  settles  the  mode  of  bap- 
tism beyond  a  doubt,  which  is  this :  namely, 
"  The  instrument  and  manner  of  an  action 
are  put  in  the  dative  case  :  as,  Apyupaat?  ^oy^aw 
[ao.%ov  xai  rtavta  xpatrt<3u$,  oracle  to  Philip : 
fight  with  silver  iveapons,  and  you  will  con- 
quer the  world."  (See  Valpy's  Greek  Gram- 
mar, p.  192.)     Throughout  the  New   Testa- 


126  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

ment,  in  every  place  where  it  speaks  of  the 
baptism  of  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the 
washing  of  persons  and  things  with  water,  the 
water  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are  always  put  in 
the  dative  case;  therefore,  the  preposition  sv, 
which  is  generally  in  connection,  and  is  trans- 
lated with,  is  a  correct  translation  :  the  instru- 
ment of  the  action  of  baptism  is  water,  and 
the  manner  is  with;  therefore,  it  was  applied 
to  the  subject.  Should  it  be  said  a  school 
teacher  corrected  his  scholars  with  a  rod,  all 
would  immediately  understand  him  as  having 
done  it  by  applying  the  rod  to  them,  and  not 
the  scholars  to  the  rod.  A  limner  painted  a 
picture  with  paint ;  the  paint  was  applied  to 
make  the  picture :  a  man  cut  down  a  tree  with 
an  axe  ;  the  axe  was  applied  to  the  tree  :  John 
baptized  the  people  with  water;  he  then,  of 
course,  applied  the  water  to  them. 

This  rule  of  the  Greek  language  should  set- 
tle the  dispute  about  the  mode  of  baptism  in 
every  candid  mind.  We  Pedo-Baptists  have 
been  on  the  defensive  long  enough:  it  is  high 
time  we  should  buckle  on  our  armor,  and 
boldly  step  forth  and  attack  this  insidious 
error  that  lurks  around  the  walls  and  bulwarks 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  127 

of  our  Zion,  and  rout  him,  and  put  him  to 
death  with  the  sword  of  truth. 

The  first  position  taken  by  them  is  from  the 
meaning  of  the  word  used  in  this  ordinance, 
which  is  /3arti,t^w,  derived  from  /Sart^w,  its  root. 
They  are  words  of  but  "  one  meaning,"  as 
they  say ;  "  and  that  is,  to  dip,  plunge,  or  im- 
merse; and  that  these  words  are  never  used 
in  the  Scriptures,  nor  in  classic  Greek,  except 
in  the  sense  of  immersion,  or  in  a  secondary 
sense,  to  color,  or  stain,  from  having  been  im- 
mersed." The  conclusion  they  draw  is  this : 
"  If  the  Savior  and  the  apostles  made  use  of, 
and  selected  a  word  of  but  one  meaning,  in  the 
ordinance  of  baptism,  and  that  is  immersion, 
then  immersion  is  the  only  mode  of  baptism." 

This  position  is  either  true  or  false.  If  it  is 
true,  the  argument  is  a  strong  one ;  but,  if 
false,  then  they  will  be  found  deceiving  and 
misleading  the  public  mind.  As  this  is  the 
main  pillar  which  supports  their  system,  per- 
mit us  to  approach  it,  and  if  we  succeed  in 
bearing  it  away,  their  whole  superstructure 
must  fall  to  the  ground.  They  are  exuberant  in 
their  quotations  from  learned  authors  and  Greek 
lexicons.    We  will,  also,  introduce  some  : 


128  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Schrevelius,  that  great  master  of  the  Greek 
tongue,  gives  four  definitions  :  "  Baptizo,  mer- 
go,  abluo,  lavo :  to  baptize,  to  immerse,  to 
wash,  to  sprinkle,  wet,  or  moisten." 

Schleusner  (see  his  Lexicon  on  the  N.  T.) 
defines  baptizo,  1.  "  To  immerse  in  water.  2. 
To  wash,  sprinkle,  or  cleanse  with  water.  3. 
To  baptize.     4.  To  pour  out  largely." 

Scapula  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  baptizo, 
"  to  immerse,  wash,  sprinkle." 

Hedericus  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  bap- 
tizo, "  to  immerse,  wash,  sprinkle." 

Parkhurst  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  bap- 
tizo, "  to  immerse  in,  or  wash  with  water,  in 
token  of  purification  of  sin." 

Mnsworlh  (English  and  Latin  Dictionary) 
defines  it,  "  to  wash  any  one  in  the  sacred  bap- 
tismal font,  or  to  sprinkle  on  him  the  conse- 
crated water." 

Buck  (see  his  Dictionary)  says,  its  "radi- 
cal, proper,  and  primary  meaning  is,  to  tinge, 
to  dye,  to  wet,  or  the  like,  which  primary  de- 
sign is  effected  by  different  modes  of  appli- 
cation." 

Cole  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  "  to  bap- 
tize, to  wash,  to  sprinkle" 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  129 

Passor  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  "  to 
immerse,  wash,  sprinkle" 

Suidas  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  to  im- 
merse, moisten,  sprinkle. 

Conler  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  by  im- 
mersion, washing,  sprinkling,  or  wetting. 

Stephanus  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  "  to 
immerse,  wash,  cleanse,  or  sprinkle"  (mergo, 
abluo,  lavo.) 

Leigh  (see  his  Lexicon,  i.  e.,  Critica  Sacra) 
defines  it,  "  a  kind  of  washing,  as  by  plung- 
ing ;  and  yet  it  is  more  largely  taken  for  any 
kind  of  washing,  where  there  is  no  dipping 
at  all."  This  is  a  very  important  witness,  as 
he  was  an  immersionist. 

Wahl  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  1.  "To 
wash,  to  perform  ablution,  to  cleanse.  2.  To 
immerse,  to  administer  the  rite  of  baptism." 
This  lexicographer  gives  immersion  as  its  sec- 
ondary meaning,  and  to  wash  as  its  primary. 

Dr.  George  Hill,  principal  of  St.  Mary's 
College,  who  was  eminently  a  learned  man, 
says,  "Both  sprinkling  and  immersion  are 
implied  in  the  word  baptizo ;  both  were  used 
in  the  religious  ceremonies  of  the  Jews,  and 

both  may  be  considered  as  significant  of  the 
9 


130  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

purposes  of  baptism."  (Hill's  Divinity,  p. 
659.) 

John  Wesley  says,  "  The  matter  of  this  sa- 
crament is  water,  which,  as  it  has  a  natural  power 
of  cleansing,  is  the  more  fit  for  this  symbolical 
use.  Baptism  is  performed  by  washing,  dip- 
ping, or  sprinkling  the  person  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  who  is  here- 
by devoted  to  the  ever-blessed  Trinity.  I  say, 
by  ivashing,  sprinkling,  or  dipping;  be- 
cause it  is  not  determined  in  Scripture  in  which 
of  these  ways  it  shall  be  done,  neither  by  any 
express  precept,  nor  by  any  such  example  as 
clearly  prove  it,  neither  by  the  force  or  mean- 
ing of  the  word  baptism." 

Calvin  says,  "Whether  the  person  baptized 
be  wholly  immersed,  and  whether  thrice  or  not, 
or  whether  water  be  only  poured,  or  sprinkled 
upon  him,  is  of  no  importance." 

Dr.  Doddridge,  who  had  strong  partialities 
for  immersion,  says,  "  Baptizo  may  signify  any 
method  of  washing,  and  is  sometimes  used  in 
Scripture,  for  washing  things  which  were  not 
dipped  in  water,  but  on  which  it  was  poured, 
as,  Luke,  xi,  38  ;  Mark,  vii,  4." 

Johnson  says,  "Baptize,  to  Christen." 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  131 

Walker  (see  his  Dictionary)  says,  "  Baptize, 
to  administer  the  sacrament  of  baptism,  sprin- 
kle, plunge." 

Webster  (see  his  Dictionary)  says,  "Baptism, 
the  application  of  water  to  a  person,  as  a  sacra- 
ment or  religious  ceremony." 

Grove  (see  his  Greek  Lexicon)  defines  /3a*:- 
i<u,  "to  dip,  plunge,  immerse,  to  wash,  to  wet, 
moisten,  sprinkle;  to  steep,  to  imbue,  to  dye, 
to  stain,  color."  This  is  the  root  of  j3artti£u, 
the  word  used  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism, 
which,  according  to  Grove,  means,  "  to  dip,  im- 
merse, immerge,  plunge;  to  wash,  cleanse, 
purify;  to  baptize,  to  depress,  humble,  over- 
throw." 

Dr.  Adam  Clarke  says,  "  Were  the  people 
dipped,  or  sprinkled?  for  it  is  certain,  bapto 
and  baptizo  mean  both."  (See  Com.  on 
Matt,  iii,  6.) 

Professor  Stuart,  after  a  full  examination 
of  the  meaning  of  the  word  baptizo,  says,  "  I 
do  conceive  it  quite  plain,  that  none  of  the 
circumstantial  evidences  (in  the  Bible)  prove 
immersion  to  have  been  exclusively  the  mode 
of  Christian  baptism,  or  even  that  of  John. 
Indeed  I  conceive  this  point  so  far  made  out, 


132  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

that  I  can  hardly  suppress  the  conviction,  that 
if  any  one  maintains  the  contrary,  it  must  be 
either  because  he  is  unable  rightly  to  estimate 
the  nature,  or  power  of  the  Greek  language ; 
or  because  he  is  influenced  in  some  measure 
by  party  feelings ;  or  else,  because  he  has 
looked  at  the  subject  in  only  a  partial  man- 
ner."    (See  Bib.  Rep.,  p.  337.) 

We  have  seen  that  lexicographers  do  not 
give  to  baptizo,  immersion,  as  its  exclusive 
meaning,  we  will  now  see  whether  its  classic 
use  is  exclusively  immersion.  So  far  as  the 
mode  is  concerned,  it  is  admitted  that  bapto 
and  baptizo  have  the  same  meaning.  We  will 
give  a  few  cases  from  bapto. 

Hippocrates  says,  "  When  it  drops  upon 
the  garments,  (baptetai,)  they  are  dyed." 
How  were  the  garments  dyed  ?  By  some  col- 
oring fluid  dropping  on  them. 

In  Ariaii's  expedition  of  Alexander  the 
Great,  "  Nearchus  relates  that  the  Indians  (bap- 
tontai,  baptize)  dye  their  beards."  It  will  not  be 
contended  they  dyed  their  beards  by  immersion. 

JElian,  speaking  of  an  old  coxcomb  who 
endeavored  to  conceal  his  age  by  dying  his 
hair,  says,    "  He   endeavored   to   conceal   the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  133 

hoariness  of  his  hair  by   dying  (baphe,  bap- 
tizing)  it." 

Homer,  in  his  battle  of  Frogs  and  Mice,  uses 
the  following  language:  "He  breathless  fell, 
and  the  lake  was  tinged  (ebapteto,  baptized) 
with  blood."  Surely  the  lake  was  not  immersed 
in  the  blood  of  one  of  those  little  animals  ! 

Aristophanes  says,  «  Magnes,  an  old  comic 
actor  of  Athens,  used  the  Lydian  music,  shaved 
his  face,  and  smeared  (baptomenos,  baptized) 
it  over  with  tawny  washes." 

Aristotle  speaks  of  a  substance  which,  "if  it 
is  pressed,  dyes  (bapiei,  baptizes)  and  colors 
the   hand." 

We  will  now  show  the  classic  use  of  baptize 
Plutarch,  relating  the  stratagem  of  a  Roman 
general,  a  little  before  he  died  of  his  wounds, 
says,  "  He  set  up  a  trophy,  on  which,  having 
baptized  (baptisas)  his  hand  in  blood,  he  wrote 
this  inscription,  &c."  Here,  doubtless,  some 
blood  was  put  on  his  finger,  or  his  finger  was 
put  in  blood,  and  he  wrote,  &c;  and  this  is 
called  baptizing  his  hand,  when  a  very  small 
part  of  his  hand  had  blood  on  it. 

Hippocrates    directs,    concerning   a    blister 
plaster,  if  it  should  be  too  painful,  "  to  baptize," 


134  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

or  moisten  it  with  breast  milk,  or  Egyptian 
ointment."  Here  it  means  to  sprinkle  a  little 
breast  milk  on  it ;  for  since  the  days  of  old 
mother  Eve,  it  has  never  been  known  that  a 
blister  plaster  has  been  immersed  in  breast 
milk.  Hippocrates  was  a  Greek  physician. 
Dr.  Gale,  a  learned  immersionist,  furnishes  us 
with  the  following : 

Aristotle  says,  "The  Phoenicians,  who  in- 
habit Cadiz,  relate,  that  sailing  beyond  Her- 
cules' Pillars,  in  four  days,  with  the  wind  at 
east,  they  came  to  a  land  inhabited,  whose 
coast  was  full  of  sea- weed,  and  is  not  over- 
flowed (baptizesthai,  baptized)  at  ebb;  but 
when  the  tide  comes  in,  it  is  wholly  covered." 
Here  the  land  could  not  have  been  put  in  the 
water,  but  as  the  water  flowed  over  it,  the  coast 
was  baptized.  Here  baptizo  does  not  express 
the  action  for  which  immersionists  contend. 
With  them  it  always  means  to  immerse,  or  put 
in  water. 

We  will  now  prove  by  Mr.  Carson,  a  learn- 
ed and  zealous  immersionist,  that  the  views  of 
the  immersionists  are  not  sustained  by  lexi- 
cographers and  commentators.  Mr.  Carson's 
language  is  as  follows  :  "  My  position  is,  that 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  135 

IT  (baptizo)  ALWAYS  SIGNIFIES  TO    DIP  ;    NEVER 
EXPRESSING  ANY   THING   BUT   MODE.       Now,    as 

/  have  all  the  lexicographers  and  commenta- 
tors against  me,  in  this  opinion,  it  will  be 
necessary  to  say  a  word  or  two  with  respect 
to  the  authority  of  the  lexicons."  (P.  79.) 
Here,  Mr.  Carson  clearly  admits,  that  all 
lexicographers  and  commentators  are  against 
the  main  position  of  the  immersionists,  which 
is  this,  the  word  baptize  means  always  to  dip. 
Origen,  who  nourished  in  the  third  century, 
and  was  himself  a  Greek,  and  the  Greek  lan- 
guage was  his  mother  tongue,  who  is  of  greater 
authority  than  many  lexicons,  uses  the  follow- 
ing language :  "  How  came  you  to  think  that 
Elias,  when  he  should  come,  would  baptize, 
who  did  not,  in  Ahab's  time,  baptize  the  wood 
upon  the  altar,  which  was  to  be  washed  before 
it  was  burnt,  by  the  Lord's  appearing  in  fire  ? 
But  he  ordered  the  priests  to  do  that;  not  once 
only, but  says,  Do  it  the  second  time;  and  they 
did  it  the  second  time :  and,  Do  it  the  third 
time  ;  and  they  did  it  the  third  time.  He, 
therefore,  that  did  not  himself  baptize  then,  but 
assigned  that  work  to  others,  how  was  he  likely 
to  baptize,  when  he,   according  to  Malachi's 


136  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

prophecy,  should  come."  (Wall's  Hist,  of  Inf. 
Bap.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  332.) 

By  turning  to  1  Kings,  xviii,  33,  we  can  see 
how  that  baptism  was  performed :  "  And  he 
put  the  wood  in  order,  and  cut  the  bullock  in 
pieces,  and  laid  him  on  the  wood,  and  said, 
Fill  four  barrels  with  water  and  pour  it  on  the 
burnt  sacrifice,  and  on  the  wood."  Origen 
says  the  wood  upon  the  altar  was  baptized. 
How?  By  pouring  several  barrels  of  water 
upon  it.  If  the  altar  could  be  baptized  by  pour- 
ing water  upon  it,  so  could  a  person. 

We  have  quoted  from  some  of  the  most  em- 
inent lexicographers  the  world  ever  produced, 
and  not  one  of  them  gives  immersion  as  the  only 
meaning  of  baptizo.  But  some  of  them  give 
immersion  as  its  secondary  meaning — Buck, 
Cole,  Wahl,  Walker,  and  others.  But  after 
all,  the  Bible  is  the  best  lexicon — those  di- 
vinely inspired  men  who  wrote  it,  the  best  of 
lexicographers,  for  they  were  taught  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  all  things.  An  appeal  to  it,  which 
is  the  highest  authority,  must  settle  this  mooted 
question  in  the  minds  of  all  who  are  truly  in- 
quiring after  truth.  The  opinion  of  authors, 
however  distinguished  and  learned,  cannot  be 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  137 

brought  to  overthrow  the  Scriptures  given 
by  divine  inspiration.  The  sense  in  which  the 
Scriptures  use  the  word  baptize  will  be  the 
subject  of  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  sense  in  which  the  Scriptures  use  the  word  baptize. 
But  to  the  Scriptures  :  by  this  standard  we 
are  willing  to  stand,  or  fall.  The  first  place 
we  will  adduce  is  the  following:  "And  I  saw 
heaven  opened,  and  behold,  a  white  horse ; 
and  he  that  sat  upon  him  was  called  Faithful 
and  True,  and  in  righteousness  he  doth  judge 
and  make  war.  His  eyes  were  as  a  flame  of 
fire,  and  on  his  head  were  many  crowns ;  and 
he  had  a  name  written,  that  no  man  knew,  but 
he  himself.  And  he  was  clothed  with  a  ves- 
ture dipped  in  blood :  fafiapfibiov  ai'pn,  bap- 
tized with  blood,)  and  his  name  is  called  The 
Word  of  God.  And  the  armies  which  were 
in  heaven  followed  him  upon  white  horses, 
clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean.  And 
out  of  his  mouth  goeth  a  sharp  sword,  that 
with  it  he  should  smite  the  nations:  and  he 
shall  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron:    and  he 


138  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

treadeth  the  wine-press  of  the  fierceness  and 
wrath  of  almighty  God,"  Rev.  xix,  11-15. 
It  will  be  remembered  the  Greek  text  is  the 
standard  of  appeal ;  for  the  apostles  wrote  in 
Greek.  The  Savior  is  here  spoken  of.  He 
is  represented  as  coming  with  the  armies  of 
heaven ;  out  of  his  mouth  proceedeth  a  sharp 
sword,  with  which  he  should  smite  the  nations. 
The  figure  is  a  military  one.  The  Savior  is 
represented  as  a  military  chieftain,  coming  from 
the  conquest  of  his  enemies,  with  his  garments 
stained  with  blood.  How  does  a  successful 
warrior  in  the  field  of  battle  get  blood  on  his 
garments  ?  All  must  admit  his  garments  are 
sprinkled  with  blood.  The  case  before  us  is 
a  clear  one  of  aspersion.  The  blood  flying 
out  from  the  wounds  made  by  the  "  sharp 
sword"  in  "  smiting  the  nations,"  is  called  by 
John,  writing  under  the  plenary  inspiration  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  a  baptism.  The  prophet  Isai- 
ah throws  light  on  this  subject,  and  explains 
how  this  baptism  was  performed :  "  Who  is 
this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  gar- 
ments from  Bozrah?  this  that  is  glorious  in 
his  apparel,  traveling  in  the  greatness  of  his 
strength  ?     I    that    speak    in     righteousness, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  139 

mighty  to  save.  Wherefore  art  thou  red  in 
thine  apparel,  and  thy  garments  like  him  that 
treadeth  in  the  wine-fat  ?  I  have  trodden  the 
wine-press  alone  ;  and  of  the  people  there  was 
none  with  me :  for  I  will  tread  them  in  mine 
anger,  and  trample  them  in  my  fury,  and  their 
blood  shall  be  sprinkled  upon  my  garments, 
and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment,"  Isa.  lxiii,  1-3. 
What  the  revelator  calls  "  his  vesture  baptized 
with  blood,"  the  prophet  calls  "sprinkled;" 
therefore,  the  Scriptures  in  the  above  places 
make  baptizing  and  sprinkling  to  be  synon- 
ymous. 

Origen,  in  quoting  this  passage,  (Rev.  xix, 
13,)  substitutes  the  word  rantizo  (sprinkle) 
for  bapto,  though,  in  other  respects,  he  quotes 
it  verbatim.  The  old  Peshito  Syraic  version 
translates  it  thus  :  (Latin  translation  by  Schaaf 
and  Leusden :)  aspersa  (sprinkle).  The  Vulgate 
by  Jerome,  renders  it  aspersa  (sprinkle).  The 
Ethiopic  renders  it  sprinkle.  The  French  ren- 
ders it  teinte  (stained).  The  German  translation 
by  Luther,  is  the  same,  "  Uttb  mar  attaetbatt  nut 
cittern  Meibc,  ba$  mit  SSlut  befprettget  mar." 
— He  was  clothed  with  a  garment  that  was 
besprinkled  with  blood. 


140  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Here  are  three  ancient  translations  :  the  Sy- 
riac,  the  Vulgate,  and  Ethiopic,  also  the  French 
and  German,  together  with  Origen,  a  native 
Greek,  giving  sprinkle  as  the  meaning  of  be- 
bammanon,  a  derivative  of  bapto. 

We  will  now  call  your  attention  to  Dan.  iv, 
33:  "The  same  hour  was  the  thing  fulfilled 
upon  Nebuchadnezzar:  and  he  was  driven 
from  men,  and  did  eat  grass  as  oxen,  and  his 
body  was  (efia$q,  baptized)  wet  with  the  dew 
of  heaven,  till  his  hairs  were  grown  like 
eagles'  feathers,  and  his  nails  like  birds' 
claws."  The  case  of  this  monarch  was  this : 
for  his  sins  the  Lord  deprived  him  of  his 
senses,  and  he  was  driven  from  the  society  of 
men,  and  did  eat  grass  as  the  ox,  and  at  night 
he  slept  on  the  cold  ground,  as  the  beast  of  the 
forest,  having  no  other  covering  than  a  clouded 
canopy,  or  a  starry-decked  heaven ;  and  the 
dew  gently  falling  upon  him  during  the  night, 
is  called  a  baptism.  The  falling  of  dew  is  the 
most  gentle  form  of  sprinkling,  yet  it  is  called 
a  baptism!  Baptized  with  the  dew  from 
heaven.  This  is  a  clear  case  of  sprinkling: 
immersion  is  perfectly  out  of  the  question. 
But  the  dew  gently  falling  upon  him,  by  the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  141 

prophet  is  called  a  baptism.  Now,  what  be- 
comes of  the  position  of  the  Baptist,  that  bapto 
and  baptizo  always  mean  immersion,  and 
nothing  else  ? 

Again:  "As  for  the  living  bird,  he  shall  take 
it,  and  the  cedar-wood,  and  the  scarlet,  and  the 
hyssop,  and  shall  (bapsei  apo,  baptize  from) 
dip  them,  and  the  living  bird,  in  the  blood  of 
the  bird  that  was  killed  over  the  running  water. 
And  he  shall  sprinkle  upon  him  that  is  to  be 
cleansed  from  the  leprosy  seven  times,  and 
shall  pronounce  him  clean,  and  shall  let  the 
living  bird  loose  into  the  open  field,"  Lev.  xiv, 
6,  7.  Thus  the  Septuagint  translates  this  pas- 
sage. Was  the  living  bird,  cedar-wood,  scar- 
let, and  hyssop,  all  immersed  in  the  blood  of 
one  bird  ? 

Again,  in  Heb.  ix,  10:  "Which  stood  only 
in  meats  and  drinks,  and  divers  washings, 
(Sta^opot?  j3a7tT,K?^oK,  divers,  various,  or  differ- 
ent baptisms,)  and  carnal  ordinances,  im- 
posed on  them  until  the  time  of  reformation." 
"Which  stood :"  the  Jewish  ritual,  or  mode  of 
purification.  The  different  baptisms  are  dis- 
tinguished from  the  "carnal  ordinances:"  they 
had  reference  to  the  purification  of  the  flesh, 


142  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

which  are  fully  explained  in  Leviticus,  fifteenth 
chapter.  The  apostle  goes  on,  in  the  thir- 
teenth and  fourteenth  verses,  and  explains 
some  of  those  baptisms  referred  to:  "For,  if 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats,  and  the  ashes  of 
an  heifer,  sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctifieth, 
to  the  purifying  of  the  flesh,  how  much  more 
shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who,  through  the 
Eternal  Spirit,  offered  himself  without  spot  to 
God,  purge  your  conscience  from  dead  works, 
to  serve  the  living  God."  The  apostle  re- 
fers to  Num.  xix,  9,  13:  "And  a  man  that 
is  clean,  shall  gather  up  the  ashes  of  the 
heifer,  and  lay  them  up  without  the  camp,  in  a 
clean  place,  and  it  shall  be  kept  for  the  congre- 
gation of  the  children  of  Israel,  for  a  water  of 
separation,  it  is  purification  for  sin.  *  *  *  Who- 
soever toucheth  the  dead  body  of  any  man  that 
is  dead,  and  purifieth  not  himself,  defileth  the 
tabernacle  of  the  Lord  ;  and  that  soul  shall  be 
cut  off  from  Israel ;  because  the  water  of  sepa- 
ration was  not  sprinkled  upon  him."  Again, 
in  Heb.  ix,  19th  to  21st  verse,  inclusive: 
"  For  when  Moses  had  spoken  every  precept 
to  all  the  people,  according  to  the  law,  he  took 
the  blood  of  calves  and  goats,  with  water  and 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  143 

scarlet  wool  and  hyssop,  and  sprinkled  both 
the  book  and  all  the  people,  saying,  This  is  the 
blood  of  the  testament  which  God  hath  enjoin- 
ed unto  you.  Moreover,  he  sprinkled  like- 
wise with  blood  both  the  tabernacle  and  all  the 
vessels  of  the  ministry."  Moses,  as  he  bap- 
tized, or  sprinkled  the  people,  used  the  following 
sacramental  words :  namely,  "  This  is  the  blood 
of  the  testament  which  God  hath  enjoined  unto 
you."  Paul  says,  "  Which  was  a  figure  for  the 
time  then  present."  Again :  "  For  the  law  hav- 
ing a  shadow  of  good  things  to  come,  and  not 
the  very  image  of  the  things."  How  beauti- 
fully this  represents  Christian  baptism,  which 
is  to  be  performed  using  the  following  sacra- 
mental words:  "I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost."  The  Jew- 
ish dispensation  was  a  "figure"  and  a  "  shad- 
ow of  good  things  to  come." 

In  the  whole  administration  of  the  Jewish 
economy,  whenever  it  required  an  administra- 
tor and  a  subject,  the  baptism,  or  rite  of  purifi- 
cation was  always  and  invariably  done  by 
sprinkling.  "  Wherefore,"  says  Paul,  "  the  law 
was  our  schoolmaster,  to  bring  us  to  Christ, 
that  we  might  be  justified  by  faith."     And  as 


144  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

sprinkling  was  invariably  practiced  in  that  dis- 
pensation, sprinkling  must  now  be  the  mode  of 
baptism.  Paul,  when  he  used  the  words  "  di- 
vers ivashings,  or  baptisms"  must  have  con- 
sidered the  appropriate  and  correct  translation 
of  /SartT-Kj^oj,  when  used  in  a  theological,  or 
sacramental  sense,  to  be  sprinkling. 

That  dispensation,  as  a  schoolmaster,  was 
to  lead  us  to  Christ.  The  blood  of  the  sacri- 
fices was  only  available,  as  it  pointed  to,  or  was 
a  type  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  Paul  says, 
"Without  shedding  of  blood,  is  no  remission." 
The  blood  of  Christ  is  to  be  applied  to  the  soul, 
or  spiritual  man  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
water  of  baptism  is  to  be  applied  to  the  body, 
or  the  material  man,  which  is  a  representation 
of  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  the  puri- 
fication of  the  heart. 

As  soul  and  body  are  both  the  subjects  of  the 
saving  power  of  the  Gospel,  it  is  intended  there 
should  be  something  appropriate  in  religion  for 
both.  The  soul  is  to  be  baptized  with  the 
blood  of  Christ,  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  the  body 
is  to  be  baptized  with  water,  by  a  proper  ad- 
ministrator. This  is  beautifully  expressed  by 
Paul,    when   he    savs,    "  Having    our   hearts 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  145 

sprinkled  (baptized)  from  an  evil  conscience, 
and  our  bodies  washed  (baptized)  with  pure 
water." 

The  word  washed  is  from  %ovo,  which  does 
not  mean  immersion ;  but  to  wash  by  applying 
the  water  to  the  body.  If  the  above  place  have 
reference  to  baptism,  where  it  says,  "and 
our  bodies  washed  with  pure  water,"  in  which 
all  immersionists  agree,  then  it  decides  the 
whole  controversy  on  the  mode  of  baptism  in 
favor  of  sprinkling.  How  beautifully  this  fulfills 
the  prophecy  of  Ezek.  xxxvi,  25,  26:  "Then 
will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and  ye 
shall  be  clean,  from  all  your  filthiness  and  from 
all  your  idols,  will  I  cleanse  you.  Anew  heart 
also  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put 
within  you."  This  being  the  case,  how  forci- 
bly it  strikes  the  mind,  that  sprinkling  was  in- 
tended by  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  to 
be  practiced  as  the  correct  mode  of  baptism  ! 
Ninth  verse  :  "  Which  was  a  figure  (rtapajSo^, 
type,  or  emblem)  for  the  time  then  present." 
If  the  tabernacle  and  its  services,  embracing  the 
rites  and  ceremonies  of  that  dispensation,  were 
only  typical,  or  emblematical  of  the  Gospel 
dispensation,  it  is  certain,  then,  that  immer- 
10 


146  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

sion  cannot  be  the  mode  of  baptism  the  Scrip- 
tures intended  to  teach. 

Again:  "Then  came  together  unto  him  the 
Pharisees,  and  certain  of  the  Scribes,  which 
came  from  Jerusalem.  And  when  they  saw 
some  of  his  disciples  eat  bread  with  defiled 
(that  is  to  say,  with  unwashen)  hands,  they 
found  fault.  For  the  Pharisees  and  all  the 
Jews,  except  they  wash  their  hands  oft,  eat  not, 
holding  the  tradition  of  the  elders.  And  when 
they  come  from  the  market,  except  they  wash, 
(/3a7tT,Kjw»"i'cu,  baptize)  they  eat  not.  And  many 
other  things  there  be  which  they  have  received 
to  hold,  as  the  washing  (/3art*«)rjioi>f,  baptisms) 
of  cups,  and  pots,  brazen  vessels,  and  tables," 
Mark  vii,  1-4.  It  was  a  custom  among  the 
Jews  to  wash  their  hands  before  eating ;  and 
especially  when  they  came  from  the  market.  So 
particular  were  they,  except  they  washed  (bap- 
tized) they  ate  not.  Here  is  a  clear  case,  where 
the  water  is  only  applied  to  a  part  of  the  body, 
and  it  is  called  a  baptism.  The  Savior  was  in- 
vited to  dine  with  a  Pharisee,  and  without  wash- 
ing his  hands,  "  he  went  in  and  sat  down  to 
meat.  And  when  the  Pharisee  saw  it,  he  mar- 
veled, that  he  had  not  first  washed  (fj3a7ttt,c^rn 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  14? 

baptized)  himself  before  dinner,"  Luke  xi,  38. 
Did  the  Pharisee  marvel  because  he  had  not 
first  immersed  himself?  Verily,  no  !  He  mar- 
veled that  he  had  not  first  washed  his  hands, 
according  to  the  Jewish  tradition. 

"Of  tables,  beds,  couches,  xav  xUvu>v:  It 
is  likely  it  means  no  more  than  the  forms, 
or  seats,  on  which  they  sat  to  eat.  A  bed 
or  couch  was  defiled  if  any  unclean  person 
sat,  or  leaned  on  it — a  man  with  an  issue — 
a  leper — a  woman  with  child,  &c.  As  the 
word  paTttioixovs,  baptisms,  is  applied  to  all  of 
them,  and  as  it  is  contended  that  this  word 
and  the  verb  whence  it  is  derived,  signify  dip- 
ping, or  immersion  alone,  its  use  in  the  above 
case  refutes  that  opinion,  and  shows  that  it 
was  used  not  only  to  express  dipping,  or  im- 
mersion, but  also  sprinkling  and  washing." 
(Clarke's  Com.) 

T7ie  Baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  John 
says,  "I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water,  *  *  * 
but  he  that  cometh  after  me  *  *  *  shall  bap- 
tize you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire," 
Matt,  iii,  11.  The  Savior  says,  "For  John 
truly  baptized  with  water,  but  ye  shall  baptize 


148  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

with  the  Holy  Ghost,  not  many  days  hence," 
Acts  i,  5.  It  will  be  observed,  that,  in  the 
above  quotations,  water  baptism  and  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  connected. 
When  the  action  of  two  different  things  is 
expressed  by  one  word,  if  we  can  find  out  the 
action,  or  modus  operandi  of  one,  this,  in  the 
absence  of  positive  testimony,  must  be  the  best 
evidence  that  can  be  adduced  to  ascertain  the 
action  of  the  other.  We  have  the  baptism  of 
water  and  that  of  the  Holy  Ghost  set  forth  here 
by  one  word,  namely,  "baptize."  If  we  can 
ascertain  the  manner  of  performing  the  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  then  clearly  demonstrate 
the  mode  of  water  baptism — at  least  John's. 
This  prophecy  was  fulfilled  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost. Acts  ii :  "And  when  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost was  fully  come,  they  were  all  with  one  ac- 
cord in  one  place.  And  suddenly  there  came  a 
sound  from  heaven,  as  of  a  rushing  mighty 
wind,  and  it  (the  sound)  filled  all  the  house 
where  they  were  sitting.  And  there  appeared 
unto  them  cloven  tongues  like  as  of  fire,  and 
it  sat  upon  each  of  them.  And  they  were  all 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  149 

with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them 
utterance.  Peter  standing  up  with  the  eleven, 
and  said,  But  this  is  that  which  was  spoken 
by  the  prophet  Joel,  (ii,  28,  32;)  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass  in  the  last  days  (saith  God) 
I  will  pour  out  of  my  Spirit  on  all  flesh : 
*  *  *  And  on  my  servants  and  hand- 
maidens, I  will  pour  out,  in  those  days  of 
my  Spirit,  and  they  shall  prophesy."  Here 
we  see  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
clearly  performed  by  pouring.  And  to  put 
it  beyond  a  doubt,  Peter,  rehearsing  the  mat- 
ter, says,  "He  hath  shed  forth  this  which 
ye  now  see  and  hear."  Again:  speaking 
of  the  transaction  which  took  place  at  the 
house  of  Cornelius:  "And,  as  I  began  to 
speak,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  them,  as  on  us 
at  the  beginning,  (day  of  Pentecost.)  Then 
remembered  I  the  words  of  the  Lord,  how 
that  he  said,  John,  indeed,  baptized  with 
water,  but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Query:  How  did  the  falling  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  upon  Cornelius  and  his  friends, 
remind  Peter  of  the  baptism  of  John,  if  John 
baptized  by  immersion?  Just  as  a  few  drops 
of  rain  falling  upon  one's  head,  would  remind 


150  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

him  of  having  fallen  into  a  river,  or  a  millpond, 
sometime  of  his  life  ! 

The  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  cloven  tongues  of  fire,  which  sat 
upon  them.  This  was  the  visible  sign,  or  em- 
blem of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  was  not  a  large 
flame  of  fire,  that  they  might  have-been  plunged 
or  immersed  in  it ;  but  it  sat  upon  them,  just  as 
we  pour  water  upon  a  person  to  baptize  him. 
It  was  in  the  form  of  a  tongue,  to  represent  that 
the  gift  of  tongues  was  connected  with  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

We  have  four  forms  of  expression,  showing 
the  mode  of  baptism  of  the  Spirit:  namely, 
"pour  out"  "fell  on  them,"  "  shed  forth " 
and  "  come  upon."  This  fixes  the  mode  of 
the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  beyond  a  doubt. 

This  is  the  highest  baptism,  and  the  only 
real  baptism.  For  instance,  Paul  says,  "For 
he  is  not  a  Jew,  which  is  one  outwardly;  nei- 
ther is  that  circumcision  which  is  outward  in 
the  flesh :  but  he  is  a  Jew  which  is  one  in- 
wardly, and  circumcision  is  that  of  the  heart  in 
the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter."  Circumcis- 
ion in  the  flesh  was  not  the  real  circumcision; 
but  was  only  to  personify,  or  represent  it.     So 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  151 

water  baptism  is  not  the  real  baptism,  but  is  to 
represent  it.  St.  Paul  says,  "  One  Lord,  one 
faith,  one  baptism,"  which  is  that  of  the  Spirit. 

Then,  from  the  foregoing  premises,  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  clearly  defined  to  be 
a  pouring;  and  if  water  baptism  is  an  inferior 
one,  and  is  only  to  represent  it  in  its  primary 
design,  it  is  evident  it  should  be  after  the  same 
manner. 

If  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  real 
baptism,  and  water  baptism  is  only  a  figure  to 
represent  the  reality,  then  the  figure,  to  be  a 
good  one,  should  resemble  the  thing  represent- 
ed as  nearly  as  possible;  for  instance,  if  we 
would  make  the  figure  of  a  man,  we  must  make 
it  as  nearly  in  the  form  of  a  man  as  possible, 
and  not  in  the  form  of  an  ox,  or  a  horse.  So 
to  make  water  baptism  a  good  figure  to  repre- 
sent the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  must  be 
by  pouring  out,  falling  on,  shedding  forth,  or 
coming  upon,  the  candidate ;  and  this  is  any 
thing  but  immersion. 

Our  Baptist  brethren,  even  in  the  above  plain 
case  of  pouring,  endeavor  to  make  out  immer- 
sion. "And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound 
from  heaven  as  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and 


152  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

it  filled  all  the  house  where  they  were  sit- 
ting." They  say,  "  If  the  house  were  filled 
where  they  were  sitting,  they  must  have  been 
immersed."  What  filled  the  house  1  Why, 
the  sound.  The  pronoun  "'it"  has  for  its 
antecedent  "sound."  Then  the  sound  filled 
the  house,  and  if  they  were  immersed,  of  course 
it  was  in  the  sound.  But  the  Savior  says, 
"  Not  many  days  hence,  ye  shall  be  baptized 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,"  not  in  sound} 

In  a  public  debate  which  the  writer  had  with 
a  distinguished  immersionist,  he  tried  to  make 
out  immersion  in  the  above  case  in  a  different 
manner.  He  assumed,  1.  They  were  in  the 
temple,  and  quoted  Haggai  ii,  7:  "And  I 
will  shake  all  nations,  and  the  desire  of  all 
nations  shall  come :  and  I  will  fill  this  house 
with  glory,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  He 
then  assumed,  2.  The  "glory"  with  which 
the  second  temple  was  to  be  filled,  was  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  on  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost. 

Doubtless,  the  place  where  they  were  all 
with  one  accord,  was  an  upper  room,  where 
the  disciples  abode,  when  they  all  "  continued 
with  one  accord  in   prayer   and  supplication, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  153 

with  the  women,  and  Mary,  the  mother  of 
Jesus,  and  his  brethren.  And  in  those  days, 
Peter  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples," 
&c,  Acts  i,  13,  14.  This  could  not  be  in  the 
temple,  for  every  part  of  it  was  consecrated  to 
religious  purposes;  but  it  was  an  "upper  room," 
where  they  "  abode,"  cooked,  ate,  and  slept. 

In  reference  to  the  second  position,  it  is 
such  a  wide  stretch  of  imagination,  that  it 
scarcely  requires  a  serious  refutation ;  but  we 
will  only  notice  what  the  prophet  says,  "  The 
glory  of  this  latter  house  shall  be  greater  than 
the  former."  If  the  glory  spoken  of  were  the 
same  as  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  then 
the  Holy  Ghost  was,  or  is  to  be,  greater  at  one 
time  than  what  he  was  at  another  ! 

Again :  "  He  that  washeth  himself  (/3a**t£- 
ofisvos,  is  baptized)  after  the  touching  of  a  dead 
body,  if  he  touch  it  again,  what  availeth  his 
washing,"  Ecc.  (Apoc.)  xxxiv,  25.  By  refer- 
ence to  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  Numbers,  we 
can  tell  to  a  certainty  how  that  baptism  was 
performed :  "  Whosoever  toucheth  the  dead 
body  of  any  man  that  is  dead,  and  purifieth 
not  himself,  defileth  the  tabernacle  of  the 
Lord ;  and  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  Is- 


154  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

rael :  because  the  water  of  separation  was  not 
sprinkled  upon  him." 

Dr.  Thomas  Scott,  the  commentator,  admit- 
ted by  all  to  be  a  learned  man,  quotes  Leigh- 
ton  as  saying,  "  It  (baptizo)  is  taken  more 
largely  for  any  kind  of  washing,  rinsing,  or 
cleansing,  even  where  there  is  no  dipping  at 
all,"  then  remarks,  "  The  word  was  adopted 
from  the  Greek  authors,  and  a  sense  put  upon 
it  by  the  inspired  writers,  according  to  the 
style  of  Scripture,  to  signify  the  use  of  water 
in  the  sacrament  of  baptism,  and  in  many 
things  of  a  spiritual  nature,  which  stood  re- 
lated to  it.  Some,  indeed,  contend  zealously 
that  baptism  always  signifies  immersion;  but 
the  use  of  the  words  baptize  and  baptism  in 
the  New  Testament,  cannot  accord  with  this 
exclusive  interpretation." 

Dr.  Dwight,  who  is  admitted  to  have  been 
one  of  the  most  learned  men  in  the  United 
States,  says,  "I  have  examined  almost  one 
hundred  instances  in  which  the  word  baptizo 
and  its  derivatives  are  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  four  in  the  Septuagint;  and  these, 
so  far  as  I  have  observed,  being  all  the  in- 
stances contained  in  both.     By  this  examin- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  155 

ation,  it  is,  to  my  apprehension,  evident  that 
the  following-  things  are  true :  that  the  primary- 
meaning  of  these  terms  is  cleansing ;  the  effect 
not  the  mode  of  washing:  that  the  mode  is 
usually  referred  to  incidentally,  whenever  these 
words  are  mentioned,  and  that  this  is  always 
the  case  wherever  the  ordinance  of  baptism  is 
mentioned,  and  a  reference  made,  at  the  same 
time,  to  the  mode  of  administration :  that  these 
words,  although  often  capable  of  denoting  any 
mode  of  washing,  whether  by  affusion,  sprink- 
ling, or  immersion,  (since  cleansing  was  famil- 
iarly accomplished  by  the  Jews  in  all  these 
ways,)  yet,  in  many  instances,  cannot,  without 
obvious  impropriety,  be  made  to  signify  im- 
mersion, and  in  others  cannot  signify  it  at 
all."     (Theology,  vol.  v,  p.  331.) 

We  now  have  completely  demolished  the 
main  position  taken  by  the  Baptists,  on  which 
they  principally  rest  their  cause :  namely, 
"  that  bapto  and  baptizo,  with  their  deriva- 
tives, always  mean  immersion." 

We  now  affirm,  that  the  word  "  baptize" 
when  used  in  a  sacramental,  or  theological 
sense,  never  means  immersion,  but  pouring 
and  sprinkling. 


156  TREATISE    ON   BAFTISM. 

It  is  important  for  a  correct  understanding 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  especially  in  reference 
to  the  controversy  on  baptism,  to  ascertain 
whether  words  are  used  in  their  classic,  or 
theological  sense :  that  is,  not  how  the  hea- 
then Greek  writers  used  them,  but  in  what 
sense  did  the  Savior  and  his  apostles  employ 
them.  In  no  place  in  the  Scriptures,  by  any 
fair  construction  of  the  passage,  is  the  word 
baptize  used  in  the  sense  of  immersing  the 
body  in  water,  but,  as  has  already  been  shown, 
it  is  used  to  denote  pouring  and  sprinkling. 

We  will  now  examine  this  position.  Man 
has  an  immortal  soul,  an  undying  principle, 
which  is  called  tyzq,  breath.  Well,  if  we  are 
to  interpret  the  Scriptures  after  the  manner  of 
the  Baptist,  which  is  to  use  words  only  in  their 
classic  sense,  we  may  then  say,  man  has  noth- 
ing more  than  his  breath! 

Hear  what  the  great  Professor  Stuart  says : 
"  New  Testament  usage  of  the  word,  in  cases 
not  relevant  to  this  rite,  clearly  does  not  entitle 
you  (immersionists)  to  such  a  conclusion  with 
any  confidence.  If  you  say,  «  the  classical 
usage  of  the  word  abundantly  justifies  the  con- 
struction I  put  upon  it,'  my  reply  is,  that  clas- 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  157 

sical  usage  can  never  be  very  certain  in  respect 
to  the  meaning  of  a  word  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Who  does  not  know  that  a  multitude 
of  Greek  words  here  receive  their  coloring  and 
particular  meaning  from  the  Hebrew,  and  not 
from  the  Greek  classics  ?  Does  Theos,  (God,) 
ouranos,  (heaven,)  sarx,  (flesh,)  pistis,  (faith,) 
dikaiosune,  (righteousness,)  and  other  words, 
almost  without  number,  exhibit  meanings 
which  conform  to  the  Greek  classics,  or  which, 
in  general,  can  be  illustrated  by  them  ?  Not  at 
all.  Then,  how  can  you  be  over-confident  in 
the  application  of  the  classical  meaning  of 
baptizo,  where  the  word  is  employed  in  rela- 
tion to  a  rite  that  is  purely  Christian  ?  Such 
a  confidence  is  indeed  common,  but  it  is  not 
the  more  rational,  nor  the  more  becoming, 
on  that  account" 

The  word  used  in  the  New  Testament  for 
spirit,  or  ghost  is  rivsvpa,  which  is  derived  from 
rtvsw,  to  blow.  Its  classic  use  is  wind,  gale, 
blast,  air,  vapor.  Should  a  classical  meaning 
be  contended  for,  then  the  phrase,  "yielded  up 
the  ghost,"  would  be,  yielded  up  the  wind; 
"blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,"  blessed  are 
the  poor  in  wind ;  "the  spirit  indeed  is  will- 


158  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

ing,"  the  wind  indeed  is  willing;  "neither 
angel  nor  spirit,"  neither  angel  nor  wind; 
"  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,"  to 
the  ivinds  of  just  men  made  perfect ;  "he  cast 
out  the  spirits,"  he  cast  out  the  winds. 

Again  :  we  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  Paul,  when  at  Athens,  "  preached  unto 
them  Jesus  and  the  resurrection,"  [trtv  cu-acy- 
taaw,  standing  up.)  Here,  then,  according  to 
our  Baptist  brethren,  Paul  did  not  preach  the 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  but  only  a  standing 
up  of  the  people.  This  would  suit  the  Sad- 
ducees.  This  shows  how  important  it  is  to  as- 
certain whether  a  word  is  used  in  a  classic,  or 
a  theological  sense.  It  is  readily  admitted 
some  words  retain,  in  theology,  their  classic 
meaning,  but  this  could  not  be  the  case  with 
all  words ;  for,  of  many  of  the  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel,  and  especially  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  the  heathens  had  no  idea,  and  could 
not  have  used  a  word  to  express  it.  A  case  in 
point:  Paul  says,  "Is  not  to  eat  the  Lord's 
supper,"  (Surtvov,  a  feast.)  Yet  we  all  think 
we  celebrate  the  Lord's  supper  in  a  correct 
manner  by  taking  a  little  crum  of  bread  and  a 
sip  of  wine. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  159 

The  mode  of  interpretation  adopted  by  our 
opponents  would  destroy  the  doctrine  of  the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  and,  to  cap  the  climax,  would  have 
us  to  partake  of  a  full  meal,  or  feast,  in  order 
to  celebrate  the  Lord's  supper. 

Dr.  Owen,  one  of  the  greatest  and  most 
learned  men,  says,  "Baptizo  signifies  to 
wash,  as  instances  out  of  all  authors  may  be 
given."  Again:  "  No  one  place  can  be  given 
in  the  Scriptures  wherein  baptizo  doth  neces- 
sarily signify  either  to  dip,  or  plunge."  Again : 
"In  this  sense,  as  it  expresseth  baptism,  it  de- 
notes to  wash  only,  and  not  to  dip  at  all ;  for 
so  it  is  expounded,  Tit.  iii,  5,"  &c.  Again : 
"  AVherefore,  in  this  sense,  as  the  word  is  ap- 
plied unto  the  ordinance,  the  sense  of  dipping 
is  utterly  excluded."  (Owen's  Works,  vol. 
xxi,  p.  557.) 

Our  opponents  further  say,  in  their  zeal 
and  determination  to  make  out  immersion, 
"  Though  the  Greek  language  is  exuberant,  and 
abounds  with  the  richness  of  its  expression, 
yet  there  is  not  another  word  in  the  whole  lan- 
guage to  convey  the  idea  of  immersion  but 
bapto  and  baptizo,  and  the  Savior  thus  selected 


160  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

the  only  word  in  the  language  that  means  im- 
mersion; therefore,  the  mode  of  baptism  must 
be  by  immersion."  This  is  not  true.  There 
are  several  words  in  the  Greek  which  convey 
the  idea  of  dipping,  immersing,  and  plung- 
ing: namely,  xatcxrlovtv^^,  xai'ajSartT'u,  sfi^a7i- 
tfw,    i[Afiart-ti£ia,    Svvu),    rtapaSvco,    evartoxKvco,   dvy- 

XtfhVTHUi. 


CHAPTER  III. 

John's  baptism. 

John  baptized  in  Jordan.  "If  so,"  say 
our  opponents,  "  he  must  have  immersed  the 
people."  This  would  be  a  good  conclusion, 
if  he  could  not  have  baptized  at  a  river  in  any 
other  manner.  The  Scripture  says,  he  bap- 
tized "  in  the  wilderness,"  in  "  Bethabara,  be- 
yond Jordan,"  "in  Jordan,"  and  "at  Enon." 
John  was  a  minister  of  the  wilderness,  person- 
ified by  the  prophet  Isaiah :  "  The  voice  of 
one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  prepare  ye  the 
way  of  the  Lord,"  Isa.  xl,  3. 

Three  of  those  places  named,  doubtless, 
have  reference  to  the  same  district  of  country, 
where  John  exercised  his  office  and  ministry, 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  161 

which  was  the  "wilderness  of  Judea,"  which 
extended  as  far  as  the  river  Jordan,  from 
whence  he  obtained  his  supplies  of  water.  He 
did  not  immerse  the  people  in  Jordan,  for, 
"  These  things  were  done  in  Bethabara,  be- 
yond Jordan,  where  John  was  baptizing-," 
John  i,  28.  Again:  "But  he  escaped  out  of 
their  hand,  and  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan 
into  the  place  where  John  at  first  baptized,  and 
there  abode,  and  many  resorted  unto  him," 
John  x,  40.  Ask  an  immersionist  where  John 
first  baptized?  His  answer  will  be,  "in  Jor- 
dan" Well,  what  do  you  mean  by  the  phrase 
"in  Jordan?"  In  the  water,  and  under  its 
surface.  Well,  did  Christ  go  there  and  take 
up  his  abode ! 

"  Bethabara,  beyond  Jordan."  Dr.  Clarke 
thinks  it  should  be  Bethany,  which  was  on  the 
other  side  of  Jordan,  in  the  tribe  of  Reuben. 
Its  meaning  is,  "house  of  passage ,"  and  is 
thought  to  be  at  the  place  where  the  Israelites 
passed  the  river  Jordan  under  Joshua.  If  the 
correct  reading  is  "Bethabara,"  house  of  pass- 
age, instead  of  Bethany,  which  was  beyond 
Jordan,  in  the  tribe  of  Reuben,  then  John's 
baptism  was  a  house  baptism:  this,  then, 
11 


162  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

strongly  implies  the  idea  that  he  sprinkled  the 
people,  or  baptized  them  with  water. 

The  baptism  of  John  and  that  of  Christ, 
were  viewed  by  the  people  as  a  system  of  puri- 
fication, after  the  manner  of  the  Jews  :  "  Then 
there  arose  a  question  between  some  of  John's 
disciples  and  the  Jews,  about  purifying.  And 
they  came  unto  John,  and  said  unto  him,  Rabbi, 
he  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom 
thou  barest  witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth, 
and  all  men  come  to  him,"  John  iii,  25,  26. 
There  was  a  controversy  between  some  of 
John's  followers  and  the  Jews  about  the  bap- 
tism of  John  and  that  of  Christ.  The  Jews  told 
John's  disciples,  "  Behold  the  same  (Christ) 
baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to  him."  And 
this  was  a  question  about,  purifying.  Well, 
what  was  the  manner  of  the  Jewish  mode  of 
purification?  Sprinkling  ;  therefore,  the  bap- 
tism of  John  and  of  Christ  was  by  sprinkling, 
or  the  Jews  would  not  have  considered  it  a 
mode  of  purification. 

It  is  very  probable  John  occasionally  exer- 
cised his  ministry  at  the  brink  of  the  water  of 
Jordan,  when  the  weather  was  pleasant;  and 
this  being  the  case,  it  would  be  proper  to  say, 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  163 

he  baptized  "  in  Jordan:"  for  instance,  Joshua 
iii,  8,  "And  thou  shalt  command  the  priests 
that  bear  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  saying, 
when  ye  are  come  to  the  brink  of  the  water 
of  Jordan,  ye  shall  stand  still  in  Jordan."  If 
it  were  proper  to  say  the  priests  were  stand- 
ing still  in  Jordan,  though  only  at  the  brink 
of  the  water,  it  would  be  correct  to  say,  John 
baptized  "  in  Jordan,"  though  he  was  only  at 
the  edge  of  the  water.  There  might  have 
been  a  strip  of  country  on  either  side  of  Jor- 
dan, or  its  valley,  called  Jordan,  and  thus  John 
might  have  baptized  "  in  Jordan,"  or  the  valley, 
or  country  of  Jordan :  just  as  we  speak  of  go- 
ing out  into  the  Maumee  ;  but  we  do  not  mean 
into  the  water,  but  only  into  the  Maumee  coun- 
try, or  valley ;  therefore,  John  was  called, 
"  The  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness." 
We  suppose  John  did  not  baptize  by  immer- 
sion, from  the  consideration  of  the  literal  and 
physical  impossibility.  John  could  not  have 
immersed  the  millions  who  came  to  his  bap- 
tism !  The  number  he  baptized  would  be 
difficult  to  tell  precisely,  but  we  think  we  can 
come  sufficiently  near  to  show  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  to  immerse  them.     There, 


164  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

doubtless,  were  five  millions  of  inhabitants  in 
Judea  at  that  time.  In  the  days  of  David 
there  were  one  million  three  hundred  thousand 
"  valiant  men  that  drew  the  sword,"  besides 
the  tribes  of  Levi  and  Benjamin.  If  we  reckon 
only  five  for  every  warrior — this  would  embrace 
those  under  twenty  years  old,  with  the  aged 
and  infirm,  with  v/omen  and  children — we 
would  have  six  millions  and  a  half.  Josephus 
gives  us  the  following  account  of  the  popula- 
tion of  Palestine  in  A.  D.  66,  forty  years  after 
the  time  John  entered  on  his  ministry,  (see 
Wars,  b.  II,  chap,  xiv,  sec.  3 :)  "  Whilst  Ces- 
tius  Gallus  was  president  of  the  province  of 
Syria,  nobody  durst  so  much  as  send  an  em- 
bassage to  him  against  Floras  ;  but  when  he 
was  come  to  Jerusalem,  upon  the  approach  of 
the  feast  of  unleavened  bread,  the  people  came 
about  him,  not  fewer  than  three  millions  :  these 
besought  him  to  commiserate  the  calamities  of 
their  nation,  and  cried  out  upon  Floras  as  the 
bane  of  their  nation."  Josephus  further  says, 
one  million  and  one  hundred  thousand  per- 
ished in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  A.  D. 
70.  At  this  time  the  Jews  were  greatly  re- 
duced   in    number    by    the   wars    they    were 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  165 

engaged  in  with  the  Romans,  and  among  them- 
selves ;  so  at  the  time  of  John  there  could  not 
have  been  less  than  five  millions. 

The  next  item  that  will  engage  our  atten- 
tion,  will  be  the  number  baptized:  "Then 
went  out  to  him  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea, 
and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan,  and 
were  baptized  of  him,  in  Jordan,  confessing 
their  sins,"  Matt,  iii,  5,  6.  "And  there  went 
out  unto  him,  all  the  land  of  Judea,  and  they 
of  Jerusalem,  and  were  all  baptized  of  John," 
Mark  i,  5.  "  Now,  when  all  the  people  were 
baptized,  it  came  to  pass,  that  Jesus  also  being 
baptized,"  Luke  iii,  21.  We  will  not  contend 
that  every  man,  woman,  and  child  were  bap- 
tized ;  but  from  the  above  language,  it  must 
mean  a  large  majority  of  the  whole:  "Je- 
rusalem" "all  Judea"  "all  the  land  of 
Judea"  "all  the  regions  round  about  Jor- 
dan" "all  the  people."  This  would  not  be 
correct,  if  a  less  number  than  a  majority  were 
baptized.  For  instance,  should  it  be  said  of 
a  Baptist  clergyman,  that  he  visited  Wooster 
and  immersed  all  Wooster,  and  all  Wayne 
county,  and  all  the  regions  round  about  Wayne 
county,   it   would    not    be    correct    if    a   less 


166  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

number  than  a  majority  only  were  immersed. 
Then  John  must  have  baptized  at  least  three 
millions. 

The  next  inquiry  will  be,  the  time  of 
John's  ministry.  This  we  can  ascertain 
pretty  clearly.  We  believe  it  lasted  some- 
thing near  eight  months.  John  was  thirty 
years  old  when  he  entered  on  his  public  min- 
istry, which  was  the  age  required  by  the  law, 
for  a  priest  to  enter  on  the  public  functions 
of  his  office.  "From  thirty  years  old  and 
upward,  even  until  fifty  years  old,  all  that 
enter  into  the  host,  to  do  the  work  in  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation,"  Num.  iv,  3. 
"  Now  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  the  reign  of 
Tiberius  Cassar,  *  *  *  the  word  of  God 
came  unto  John,  the  son  of  Zacharias,  in 
the  wilderness,"  Luke  iii,  1,  2.  This  was 
A.  D.  26,  which  would  make  John  thirty 
years  old.  "  Now  when  all  the  people  were 
baptized,  it  came  to  pass,  that  Jesus  also 
being  baptized.  *  *  *  And  Jesus  himself 
began  to  be  about  thirty  years  of  age,"  Luke 
iii,  21,  23.  At  the  time  of  Christ's  baptism, 
John's  ministry  had  lasted  six  months;  for  he 
was  that  much  older  than  the   Savior.     The 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  167 

very  next  circumstance,  as  recorded  by  the 
evangelists,  after  the  baptism  of  Christ  was, 
Christ's  forty  days  and  nights  temptation  of  the 
devil  in  the  wilderness.  The  next  circum- 
stance after  the  expiration  of  forty  days,  was 
the  imprisonment  of  John  that  ended  his  public 
ministry.  Put  forty  days  to  six  months,  and 
we  will  have  between  seven  and  eight  months. 
"Was  it  possible  that  John  could  have  immersed 
three  millions  in  eight  months ! 

Our  opponents  being  pressed  with  this  view 
of  the  subject,  try  to  lengthen  out  the  time 
of  his  ministry.  Some  contend  for  twelve 
months — others  for  eighteen. 

Admit,  we  grant  for  a  moment  all  they  con- 
tend for,  which  is  eighteen  months,  and  we 
will  suppose  John  stepped  into  the  water  up  to 
his  waist,  the  moment  he  entered  on  his  public 
ministry,  and  stood  there  day  and  night,  win- 
ter and  summer,  for  twenty-four  hours  in  each 
day — allowing  him  no  time  to  eat,  drink,  sleep, 
or  preach — and  baptized  one  for  every  minute, 
how  many  could  he  have  baptized  ?  Only 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-eight  thousand  and 
four  hundred — a  little  over  three-fourths  of  a 
million. 


168  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

To  suppose  he  baptized  less  than  one  mil- 
lion, is  not  what  our  opponents  contend  for; 
and  indeed  to  do  so,  would  be  a  perfect  disre- 
gard of  the  Scripture  and  facts  in  the  case.  So 
we  see,  to  put  it  down  to  the  smallest  possible 
number,  aud  grant  all  they  contend  for  as  to 
time,  John  could  not  have  baptized  by  immer- 
sion. 

But  admitting  he  baptized  three  millions, 
and  we  believe  he  did,  at  least  that  number; 
and  we  will  suppose  his  ministry  lasted  only 
eight  months,  which  was  about  the  correct 
time ;  and  we  will  further  suppose  he  stood  in 
the  water  up  to  his  waist,  and  baptized  for  six 
hours  every  clay — more  he  could  not  do  with- 
out a  continued  miracle  to  sustain  him,  and  it 
will  be  recollected,  "John  did  no  miracles" — 
how  many  must  he  have  baptized  every 
minute  ?  He  must  have  baptized  thirty-four 
every  minute !  This  shows  it  could  not  have 
been  done  by  immersion.  But  he  could  have 
baptized  the  people  by  sprinkling.  "  Moses 
sprinkled  all  the  people,"  Heb.  ix,  19.  (See 
Exodus  xxiv.)  But  what  was  their  number? 
"  All  those  that  were  numbered  of  the  camps 
throughout  their  hosts,  were  six  hundred  thou- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  169 

sand  and  three  thousand  and  five  hundred  and 
fifty,"  Num.  ii,  32.  (See  Dr.  Clarke's  Com- 
mentary on  this  chapter.)  Suppose  there  were 
five  to  each  warrior,  including  young  and  old 
men,  women  and  children ;  then  we  would 
have  above  three  millions.  The  Scriptures 
represent,  that  Moses  sprinkled  all  of  them 
forthwith.  This  was  done  with  "scarlet  wool 
and  hyssop;"  and  as  John's  baptism  was  a 
Jewish  purification,  or  something  similar  to  it, 
John  must  have  sprinkled  the  people  after  the 
manner  of  Moses. 

Our  immersion  brethren  say,  "  John  bap- 
tized at  Enon,  because  there  was  'much 
water;'  therefore,  he  immersed  the  people." 
This  is  the  last  place  where  he  exercised  his 
ministry.  The  first  place  was  "  beyond  Jor- 
dan," which,  as  we  have  already  seen,  em- 
braced that  district  of  country  called  the  "  wil- 
derness of  Judea,"  and  extended  as  far  as 
Jordan,  from  whence  he  obtained  his  supplies 
of  water.  This  place  was  emphatically  called 
"  beyond  Jordan.'"  The  second  and  last  place 
was  at  Enon,  near  Salem. 

"  Much  water"  moMa  vSa-ta,  many  waters. 
This   may   refer   to   small    as    well    as    large 


170  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

streams.  "  The  Baptists,  however,  have  mag- 
nified Enon,  which  signifies  the  fountain  of 
On,  into  a  place  of  '  many  and  great  waters.' 
Unfortunately,  however,  no  such  powerful 
fountain,  sending  out  many  streams  of  water 
fit  for  plunging  multitudes  into,  has  ever  been 
found  by  travelers,  although  the  country  has 
been  often  visited  ;  and  certainly  if  its  streams 
had  been  of  the  copious  and  remarkable  char- 
acter assigned  to  them,  they  could  not  have 
vanished.  It  rather  appears,  however,  that  the 
'  much  water,'  or  *  many  waters  '  in  the  text, 
refers  rather  to  the  whole  tract  of  country, 
than  to  the  fountain  of  On  itself,  because  it 
appears  to  be  given  by  the  evangelist  as  the 
reason  why  Jesus  and  his  disciples  came  into 
the  same  neighborhood  to  baptize.  Different 
baptisms  were  administered,  and,  therefore,  in 
different  places.  The  baptism  administered  by 
Jesus  at  this  time  was  of  multitudes.  This 
appears  from  the  remark  of  one  of  John's  dis- 
ciples to  his  master:  'He  that  was  with  thee 
beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  thou  bearest  witness, 
behold  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to 
him.''  The  place,  or  places,  too,  where  Jesus 
baptized,  although  in  the  same  district,  could 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  171 

not  be  very  near,  since  John's  disciple  men- 
tions the  multitudes  who  came  to  be  baptized 
by  Jesus,  or  rather  by  his  disciples,  as  a  piece 
of  information ;  and  thus  we  find  a  reason  for 
the  mention  of  much  water,  or  many  waters, 
with  reference  to  the  district  of  country  itself, 
and  not  to  the  single  fountain  of  On.  The 
tract  probably  had  many  fountains  in  it,  which, 
as  being  a  peculiarity  in  a  country  not  so  dis- 
tinguished, would  lead  to  the  use  of  the  ex- 
pression, '  much  water,'  although  not  one  of 
those  fountains,  or  wells  might  be  sufficient  to 
allow  of  the  plunging  of  numbers  of  people, 
and  probably  was  not.  Indeed,  if  the  disciples 
of  Jesus  baptized  by  immersion,  the  immer- 
sionists  are  much  more  concerned  to  discover 
*  much  water,'  «  many  waters,'  '  large  and  deep 
streams,'  somewhere  else  in  the  district  than  at 
Enon  ;  because  it  is  plain  from  the  narrative,  that 
the  number  of  candidates  for  John's  baptism 
had  greatly  fallen  off  at  that  time."  (Watson.) 
"  Salem  was  at  least  fifty  miles  north,  up 
the  river  Jordan  from  the  place  where  John 
had  begun  to  baptize.  Enon,  near  it,  was 
either  a  natural  spring,  an  artificial  reservoir, 
or  a  cavernous  temple  of  the  sun,  prepared  by 


172  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

the  Canaanites,  the  ancient  idolatrous  inhabit- 
ants of  the  land.  The  eastern  versions,  that  is, 
the  Syriac,  Ethiopic,  Persiac,  and  Arabic,  of 
the  Gospel  of  John,  as  well  as  the  Hebrew 
and  Chaldean  Ain-yon,  Gnain-yon,  suggest 
these  opinions,  and  it  is  difficult  to  say  which 
is  the  precise  meaning  of  the  evangelist's  word 
Enon,  and  it  is  not  certain  whether  the  plain 
meaning  be,  John  was  baptizing  at  the  Dove- 
spring  near  Salem,  or,  John  was  baptizing  at 
the  Sun  fountain  near  Salem.  *  •  *  * 
Springs  issuing  from  the  fissures  of  rocks,  gurg- 
ling through  the  chinks  as  waters  out  of  bottles, 
falling  from  crag  to  crag,  murmuring  from  bed 
to  basin,  and  from  basin  to  bed,  fretting  along 
the  ragged  sides  of  a  rocky  cavern,  would  form 
what  the  Jews  called  a  Dove-water,  or,  if  it 
flowed  from  a  natural  spring,  in  their  figurative 
style,  a  Dove's-eye."  (Robinson's  Hist,  of 
Baptism,  pp.  27  and  30.)  This  author  is  a 
Baptist,  and  he  expressly  says,  page  29,  "  The 
spring  where  John  baptized  was  called  the 
Dove's-cye."  Here,  then,  the  deep  and  large 
streams,  the  "  much  water"  of  the  Baptists,  at 
Enon,  is,  according  to  their  own  showing,  the 
spring  of  the  Dove's-eye! 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  173 

Hear  what  Professor  Stuart  says  on  this 
point:  "Now  John  was  baptizing  in  (or  at) 
Enon,  near  Salem,  hoti  hudala  polla  en  ekei, 
for  there  was  much  water  there;  or,  (more 
literally,)  there  were  many  waters  there. 
The  question  is,  whether  John  baptized  at 
Enon,  near  Salem,  because  the  waters  there 
were  abundant  and  deep,  so  as  to  afford  con- 
venient means  of  immersion,  or  whether  the 
writer  meant  merely  to  say  that  John  made 
choice  of  Enon,  because  there  was  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  water  there  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  those  who  visited  him  for  the  sake 
of  being  baptized,  and  hearing  the  powerful 
addresses  he  made  to  the  Jews.  The  former 
statement  makes  the  much  waters,  or  many 
waters,  necessary,  or,  at  least,  convenient  and 
desirable,  for  the  purposes  of  the  baptismal 
rite — the  latter  for  supplying  the  wants  of  the 
multitudes  who  attended  the  preaching  of  John. 
It  has  always  seemed  to  me  a  very  singular 
mode  of  expression,  if  the  sacred  writer  meant 
to  designate  the  former  idea,  to  say  hoti  hudata 
polla  en  ekei.  Why  not  say,  because  the 
water  was  deep,  or  abundant,  simply  ?  A  sin- 
gle brook,  of  very  small  capacity,  but  a  living 


174  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

stream,  might,  with  scooping  out  a  small  place 
in  the  sand,  answer  most  abundantly  all  the 
purposes  of  baptism,  in  case  it  were  performed 
by  immersion,  and  answer  them  just  as  well 
as  many  waters  could  do.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  single  brook  would  not  suffice  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  great  multitudes  who 
flocked  to  John.  The  sacred  writers  tell  us 
that  '  there  went  out  to  him  Jerusalem  and  all 
Judea,  and  all  the  regions  of  Jordan,'  Matt. 
iii,  5 ;  and  that  they  were  baptized  of  him. 
Of  course,  there  must  have  been  a  great  mul- 
titude of  people.  Nothing  could  be  more  nat- 
ural than  for  John  to  choose  a  place  that  was 
watered  by  many  streams,  where  all  could 
be  accommodated.  The  circumstances  of  the 
case,  then,  would  seem  to  favor  the  interpre- 
tation which  refers  the  mention  of  the  many 
waters  to  the  wants  of  the  people  who  flocked 
to  hear  John."  (Stuart  on  the  Mode  of  Bap- 
tism, pp.  37,  38.) 

John's  baptism  was  not  Christian  baptism, 
(see  Acts  xix,  1-7,)  but  was  a  kind  of  a  Jew- 
ish purification.  When  he  says,  "  I  indeed 
baptize  you  with  water,  but  he  shall  baptize 
you  with   the    Holy   Ghost,"  he   means,  "I 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  175 

indeed  purify  you  with  water,  but  he  shall 
purify  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Christ's  baptism. 
This  is  brought  forward  by  the  immersion- 
ists  as  a  case  of  baptism  by  immersion.  Mat- 
thew says,  Christ  came  (?rtt)  to  Jordan ;  and 
Mark  says,  he  was  "baptized  in  Jordan." 
John  baptized  him ;  but  with  what  baptism 
was  he  baptized  ?  It  could  not  have  been 
John's  baptism,  for  that  was  a  baptism  unto 
repentance.  Did  He  who  knew  no  sin,  in 
whose  mouth  no  guile  was  found,  repent?  Re- 
pentance is  founded  in  sin,  and  none  but  a  sin- 
ner can  repent.  Some  say,  "  Christ's  baptism 
was  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  baptism ;" 
but  they  forget  that  the  Christian  baptism  was 
not  instituted,  or  commanded  until  above  three 
years  after  Christ  was  baptized,  when  he  com- 
manded his  disciples  to  "  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and 
of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Besides, 
Christ  would  then  have  been  baptized  in  his 
Father's  name,  and  in  his  own  name,  and  in 


176  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

the  name  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which,  to  say 
the  least,  would  be  absurd. 

Again:  other  immersionists  say,  "Christ's 
baptism  was  to  set  us  an  example,  and  we 
must  follow  him  just  as  he  set  the  example." 
But,  says  the  evangelist,  "  When  all  the  people 
were  baptized,  it  came  to  pass  Jesus,  also,  be- 
ing baptized,"  &c,  Luke  iii,  21.  A  singular 
manner  of  setting  an  example,  to  wait  until  all 
the  people  were  baptized.  Do  the  Baptists 
intend  to  be  understood  that  we  are  to  follow 
the  example  of  Christ,  and  wait  until  all  the 
people  are  baptized?  Then,  no  one  would  be 
baptized ;  for  all  would  be  waiting  until  the 
rest  were  baptized ;  or,  do  they  wish  us  to  fol- 
low his  example,  and  wait  until  we  are  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  then  have  it  done  by  a  Jew- 
ish priest  in  the  river  Jordan?  If  so,  it  then 
would  be  done  by  sprinkling  with  a  bunch  of 
hyssop. 

It  is  evident  he  was  not  baptized  with  John's 
baptism.  Well,  with  what  kind  of  baptism 
was  he  baptized?  It  was  a  priestly  ivash- 
ing,  or  consecration.  He  was  inducted  into 
his  priestly  office  by  John.  This  was  required 
by  the  law :  "And  this  is  the  thing  that  thou 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  177 

shalt  do  unto  them  to  hallow  them,  to  minister 
unto  me  in  the  priest's  office.  *  *  *  And 
Aaron  and  his  sons  thou  shalt  bring  unto  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  and 
shalt  wash  (baptize)  them  with  water,"  Ex. 
xxix,  1,4.  It  was  this  priestly  washing,  or 
consecration,  that  John  performed  on  Christ, 
as  we  may  learn  from  what  the  Savior  says : 
"  Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan 
unto  John,  lo  be  baptized  of  him.  But  John 
forbade  him,  saying,  I  have  need  to  be  bap- 
tized (or  purified)  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to 
me  ?  (to  be  purified.)  And  Jesus  answering 
said  unto  him,  suffer  it  to  be  so  now :  for  thus 
it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness. 
Then  he  suffered  him,"  Matt,  iii,  13-15. 
"  Fulfill  all  righteousness :"  says  Dr.  Clarke, 
"Every  righteous  ordinance."  He  submitted 
to  circumcision,  and  now  requires  baptism. 
But,  He  says,  "  Thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill 
all  righteousness."  On  his  part,  1.  The  right- 
eousness of  God.  2.  The  righteousness  of 
the  law.  On  the  part  of  John,  1.  The  right- 
eousness of  faith.  2.  The  righteousness  of 
the  saints. 

Behold  the  Saviur  teaching  in  the  temple. 
12 


178  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

"  The  chief  priests  and  the  elders  of  the  people 
said  unto  him,  by  what  authority  doest  thou 
these  things  ?  and  who  gave  thee  this  author- 
ity ?  And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
I  will  ask  you  one  thing,  The  baptism  of 
John,  whence  was  it?"  They  asked  the  Sa- 
vior for  his  authority  to  teach  in  the  temple. 
It  was  no  part  of  his  design  to  equivocate, 
but  to  give  a  forcible  answer.  And  what 
was  it?  John's  baptism.  How  did  John's 
baptism  give  him  authority  to  teach  in  the 
temple  ?  By  consecrating  him  a  high  priest. 
Paul  says,  "  For  every  high  priest  is  or- 
dained to  offer  gifts  and  sacrifices :  where- 
fore it  is  of  necessity  that  this  man  have  some- 
what also  to  offer,"  Heb.  viii,  3.  The  high 
priests  were  ordained  by  being  taken  to  the 
door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  and 
there  washed  with  water  and  anointed  with 
oil.  Christ  was  thus  ordained  by  John  on  the 
banks  of  the  Jordan,  when  he  baptized  him  ; 
and  by  the  Holy  Spirit:  "Thy  God  hath 
anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above 
thy  fellows  :"  that  is,  he  was  anointed  above 
all  the  high  priests  that  preceded  him. 

An  objection  is  urged  against  this  view  of 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  179 

the  subject,  which  is  this:  "He  was  a  priest 
after  the  order  of  Melchisedec,  and  not  after 
that  of  Aaron."  Paul  says,  "Melchisedec, 
king  of  Salem,  priest  of  the  most  high  God, 
king  of  righteousness,  and  after  that  king  of 
Salem,  which  is,  king  of  peace;  without 
father  or  mother,  without  descent,  having 
neither  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of  life ;  but 
made  like  unto  the  Son  of  God,"  Heb.  vii. 
In  the  above  respect,  he  was  after  the  order  of 
Melchisedec ;  without  father  or  mother ;  that 
is,  he  did  not  descend  from  any  line  of  priests, 
as  did  Aaron  and  his  sons.  He  sprang  from 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  "  of  which  no  man  gave  any 
attendance  at  the  altar."  As  we  have  already 
seen,  the  Jewish  dispensation  was  a  type,  or 
emblem  of  the  Gospel.  They  had  their  high 
priest:  we  have,  also,  a  "high  priest  of  our 
profession,  Christ  Jesus;"  "a  minister  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  the  true  tabernacle,  which  the 
Lord  pitched,  and  not  man."  Though  a  priest 
after  the  order  of  Melchisedec,  he  was  "called 
of  God,  as  was  Aaron."  Paul  says,  "  Now, 
I  say  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  minister  of  the 
circumcision,  for  the  truth  of  God,  to  confirm 
the   promises    made   unto  the  fathers."     We 


180  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

see  the  connection  from  Melchisedec  down 
through  Aaron  to  Christ.  Levi  paid  tithes  to 
Melchisedec,  being  in  the  loins  of  Abraham, 
who  met  him  returning  from  the  slaughter  of 
the  kings,  and  blessed  him.  The  priesthood 
of  Levi,  or  Aaron,  was  a  type  of  that  of 
Christ,  the  law  requiring,  at  the  age  of  thirty 
years,  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle,  a  priestly 
washing,  or  consecration.  This  washing,  or 
baptism,  was  a  sprinkling,  as  we  learn  from 
Numbers  viii :  "Take  the  Levites  from  among 
the  children  of  Israel,  and  cleanse  them :  and 
this  shalt  thou  do  to  cleanse  them,  sprinkle 
water  of  purification  upon  them." 

Our  opponents  say,  "  'And  when  Jesus  was 
baptized,  he  went  up  straightway  out  of  the 
water;'  therefore,  he  was  immersed."  It  reads 
in  the  original,  avsSrj  sv§v$  arto  tov  vbatos  : 
he  ascended  straightway  from  the  zoater.  To 
show  this  to  be  the  literal  rendering  of  the 
Greek,  the  primary  meaning  of  arto  is  from, 
and  not  "  out  of."  It  is  used  five  hundred  and 
ninety-two  times  in  the  New  Testament,  three 
hundred  and  thirty-six  times  it  is  translated 
from,  one  hundred  and  fourteen  times  of,  and 
only  forty-eight  times  out  of.     This  shows  its 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  181 

primary  meaning  to  be  from.  Well,  if  we 
had  its  primary  meaning  in  our  common  trans- 
lation, it  would  read  thus :  "  He  went  up 
straightway  from  the  water."  The  meaning 
of  the  word  owjfy  is  to  climb,  to  ascend,  to 
scale.  This  is  the  same  word,  mood,  tense, 
and  person,  where  it  speaks  of  Zaccheus  :  "And 
he  ran  before,  and  (ow-jSj?)  climbed  up  into  a 
sycamore  tree  to  see  him,"  Luke  xix,  3. 
Again :  he  (ai/f/3*/)  went  up  into  a  mountain, 
Matt,  v,  1.  Its  literal  meaning  is,  he  ascended 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan.  The  immersionists 
would  convey  the  idea,  "he  arose  out  of  the 
watery  grave  of  immersion:"  that  is,  from  the 
depth  John  had  plunged  him.  This  would 
have  been  the  action  of  John,  and  not  of  the 
Savior.  The  administrator  of  immersion  raises 
the  candidate  out  of  the  water  himself.  The 
candidate  is  passive  in  his  hands.  But  the 
action  here  is  ascribed  to  the  Savior,  and  not 
to  John ;  therefore,  it  is  unconnected  with 
the  immediate  action  of  baptism,  and  simply 
means,  after  he  was  baptized,  "he  imme- 
diately, or  straightway  ascended  from  the 
water" 

The    place    where   Jesus    was    baptized   is 


182  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

emphatically  said  to  be  "  in  Bethabara,  be- 
yond Jordan."  Matthew  says,  "  He  came  to 
Jordan  to  be  baptized."  Mark  says,  "He 
was  baptized  in  Jordan."  But  John  says  he 
was  baptized  "  in  Bethabara,  beyond  Jordan  :" 
"  These  things  were  done  in  Bethabara,  be- 
yond Jordan,  where  John  wras  baptizing.  The 
next  day  John  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  him, 
(to  be  baptized,)  and  saith,  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the 
world !  This  is  he  of  whom  I  said,  after  me 
cometh  a  man  which  is  preferred  before  me; 
for  he  was  before  me.  And  I  knew  him  not: 
but  that  he  should  be  made  manifest  to  Israel, 
therefore  am  I  come  baptizing  with  water. 
And  John  bare  record,  saying,  I  saw  the  Spirit 
descending  from  heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it 
abode  upon  him,"  John  i,  2&-32.  This  whole 
scene  is  laid  by  the  evangelist  "  in  Betha- 
bara, beyond  Jordan.'" 

The  first  fact  stated  is,  John  was  baptizing 
in  Bethabara,  beyond  Jordan.  2.  Here  is  the 
place  where  Jesus  came  to  John  to  be  bap- 
tized. 3.  In  order  that  Christ  might  be  made 
manifest  to  Israel,  John  was  sent  to  baptize 
with  water.     4.  The  record  which  John  bare 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  183 

of  him,  which  was  at  the  time  of  his  baptism, 
saying,  "  I  saw  the  Spirit  descending  from 
heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it  abode  upon  him. 
And  I  knew  him  not :  but  he  that  sent  me  to 
baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me, 
upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descend- 
ing and  remaining  on  him,  the  same  is  he 
which  baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost."  Now, 
"  These  things  were  done  in  Bethabara,  be- 
yond Jordan,  where  John  was  baptizing." 
John,  the  evangelist,  in  another  place,  declares 
the  same  fact:  "Then  there  arose  a  question 
between  some  of  John's  disciples  and  the  Jews, 
about  purifying.  And  they  came  unto  John, 
and  said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  he  that  was  with 
thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  thou  barest  wit- 
ness, behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men 
come  to  him,"  John  iii,  25,  26.  Here  it  is 
stated,  "  He  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jor- 
dan, of  whom  thou  bearest  witness."  The 
time  that  Christ  was  with  John,  and  the  time 
that  John  bare  "witness,"  or  "record,"  of 
Christ,  was  at  the  time  of  his  baptizing.  The 
evangelist  emphatically  says,  it  was  "beyond 
Jordan."  This  view  of  the  subject  destroys 
the  idea  of  immersion,  from  the  supposed  fad 


184  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

that  Christ  was  baptized  in  the  stream  of  the 
river  of  Jordan. 

In  conclusion  of  this  subject  we  say,  the 
Savior's  baptism  was  not  a  baptism  by  immer- 
sion, because  the  baptism,  or  priestly  washing 
required  by  the  law,  was  a  sprinkling. 


CHAPTER  V. 

The  baptism  of  the  eunuch,  by  Philip,  Acts  vhi. 

The  baptism  of  the  eunuch  is  always  re- 
sorted to  with  a  great  deal  of  confidence  by  our 
immersion  brethren.  This  Ethiopian  prince 
was  a  proselyte  Jew — had  been  to  Jerusalem 
to  worship — was  reading  by  the  way  in  his 
Hebrew  or  Greek  Bible,  in  the  fifty-second  and 
fifty-third  chapters  of  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah, 
"He  was  led  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter,"  &c. 
Philip  was  walking  by  the  side  of  his  carriage 
and  said  unto  him,  "  Understandest  thou  what 
thou  readest?"  He  replied,  "  How  can  I,  ex- 
cept some  man  shall  guide  me?"  He  then 
invited  Philip  to  sit  with  him  in  his  chariot. 
The  eunuch  inquired  of  him,  "  Was  the  prophet 
speaking  of  himself,  or  some  other  person  V* 
Then  Philip  opened  his  mouth,  and  began  at 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  185 

the  same  Scripture  and  preached  unto  him 
Jesus. 

It  is  emphatically  said,  "The  place  of  the 
Scripture ,"  meaning  all  the  prophecy  concern- 
ing Christ,  of  which  that  was  a  part  quoted  by 
the  evangelist.  Then  it  was  not  confined  to 
the  fifty-third  chapter,  but  commenced  at  the 
thirteenth  verse  of  the  fifty-second  chapter.  It 
will  be  remembered,  the  division  of  the  Bible 
into  chapters  and  verses  was  the  work  of  the 
thirteenth  century.  From  this  Scripture  Philip 
preached  Jesus,  that  is,  explained  the  whole 
plan  of  redemption,  the  institutions  of  the 
Church,  and  ordinances  of  the  house  of  God. 
Baptism  was  fully  explained;  for  when  they 
came  to  some  water,  the  eunuch  desired  to 
be  baptized.  And  from  what  portion  of  the 
above  "place  of  the  Scripture"  did  he  preach 
baptism?  Doubtless,  from  the  following:  "So 
shall  he  sprinkle  many  nations ;"  showing 
here,  the  "sprinkling  many  nations"  meant 
baptizing  them. 

In  order  to  make  it  clear  that  this  is  a  correct 
view  of  the  subject,  we  will  refer  to  what  Peter 
says :  "  The  like  figure  whereunto  even  bap- 
tism doth  also  now  save  us,"  1  Peter  iii,  21. 


186  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Baptism  is,  therefore,  a  "like  figure,"  to  rep- 
resent a  substance,  or  something  that  saves  us. 
And  what  is  that?  We  will  let  Peter  explain 
himself:  "Elect  according  to  the  foreknowl- 
edge of  God  the  Father,  through  the  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and  sprink- 
ling of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ"  1  Peter 
i,  2.  Here,  then,  the  substance  is  declared  to 
be  the  "sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ."  If  baptism  is  a  "like  figure"  of  the 
sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  then 
sprinkling  must  be  the  mode.  This  agrees 
with  what  Paul  says:  "For  if  the  blood  of 
bulls  and  goats,  and  the  ashes  of  a  heifer 
sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctifieth  to  the  purify- 
ing of  the  flesh :  how  much  more  shall  the 
blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the  eternal  Spirit 
offered  himself  without  spot  to  God,  purge 
your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the 
living  God!"  Heb.  ix,  13,  14.  Again:  "  We 
are  come"  "  to  Jesus,  the  mediator  of  the  new 
covenant,  and  the  blood  of  sprinkling."  This, 
then,  clearly  shows,  the  "  sprinkling  of  many 
nations"  means  baptizing  them. 

But  our  opponents  say,   "Both  Philip  and 
the  eunuch  went  down  into  the  water,  and  he 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  187 

baptized  him,  and  they  came  up  out  of  the  wa- 
ter, and  of  course  he  immersed  him."  They 
further  say,  the  Greek  preposition,  atcf,  trans- 
lated, into,  used  in  this  case,  and  the  word  «/, 
used  where  it  says,  "  John  baptized  in  (tv) 
Jordan,"  always  mean  into,  and  nothing  else. 
Is  this  position  true  ?  It  certainly  is  not ; 
therefore,  the  inference  they  wish  to  draw 
from  it  is  not  correct. 

Parkhurst  (see  his  Lexicon)  gives  sixteen 
different  definitions  to  sv.  I  will  quote  one 
portion  of  Scripture  where  it  is  used  :  "At  (sv) 
the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God,"  Heb. 
xii,  2. 

Grove  (see  his  Lexicon)  gives  twenty-three 
meanings  to  sty,  yet  our  opponents  say  it  has 
but  one. 

Donnegan  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  to, 
into. 

Bui-man's  Greek  Grammar  defines  it,  to, 
into. 

Scapula  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  "  ad, 
in,"  to,  into. 

Schrivellius  (see  his  Lexicon)  defines  it,  ad, 
in;  item,  ergo,  to,  into  ;  also,  towards. 
These  learned  authors  give  to  as  the  first,  or 


188  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

primary  meaning  of  s tj.  We  will  now  quote  a 
few  passages  of  Scripture  where  it  is  used. 
"  As  it  began  to  dawn  («$)  toward  the  first  day 
of  the  week,"  Matt,  xxviii,  1;  "I  am  not 
sent  but  (ft?)  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house 
of  Israel,''  Matt,  xv,  24 ;  "  Come  (ft?)  unto 
the  marriage,"  Matt,  xxii,  4;  "He  saith  (£t$) 
unto  him,  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole,"  John  v, 
6  ;  "  She  goeth  (sii)  unto  the  grave  to  weep," 
John  xi,  31;  "She  fell  down  (ftj)  at  the  feet 
of  Jesus,"  John  xi,  32  ;  "Jesus  again  groan- 
ing in  himself,  cometh  (ctj)  to  the  grave,"  John 
xi,  38;  "He  loved  them  («$)  unto  the  end," 
John  xiii,  1  ;  "If  by  any  means  I  might  attain 
(sij)  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  Phil, 
iii,  11  ;  "  Use  hospitality  one  («j)  to  another,' 
1  Pet.  iv,  9 ;  "  Come  first  («$)  to  the  sepulchre 
*  *  *  yet  went  he  not  in,"  John  xx,  4,  5 
"And  were  all  baptized  (ft?)  unto  Moses,'* 
1  Cor.  x,  2  ;  "  John  baptized  («$)  unto  repent 
ance,"  Matt,  iii,  11  ;  Saul  and  his  companion? 
"were  all  fallen  (»?)  unto  the  earth,"  Acts 
xxvi,  14. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  array  of  testimony 
against  our  opponents,  yet  they  say,  "  When 
(ctj)  is  before  water  it  always  brings  them  into 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  189 

it."  To  overthrow  this  position,  we  will  only 
quote  two  passages  of  Scripture.  Says  our 
Savior  to  Peter,  in  reference  to  the  tribute- 
money,  "  Lest  we  should  offend  them,  go  thou 
(f tj)  to  the  sea,  and  cast  a  hook,  and  take  up  the 
fish  that  first  cometh  up,"  Matt,  xvii,  27. 
Here  every  person  can  see,  when  Peter  was 
commanded  to  go  (ft?)  to  the  sea,  he  was  not 
commanded  to  go  into  the  water.  "  And  when 
they  came  (st$)  to  Jordan  they  cut  down 
wood,"  2  Kings  vi,  4.  Surely  they  did  not 
go  into  the  water  of  Jordan  to  cut  down  build- 
ing timber! 

Mr.  Campbell  and  his  followers  found  their 
whole  system  of  theology  on  a  different  inter- 
pretation of  £ij.  For  instance,  "Repent,  and 
be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  (*t$,)  for  the  remission  of  sins," 
Acts  ii,  38.  When  speaking  of  the  mode  of 
baptism  it  must  always  mean  into;  but  when 
speaking  of  the  design  of  baptism  it  means  for, 
in  the  sense  to  obtain.  Well,  give  us  this 
translation :  they,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch, 
went  for  the  water;  that  is,  to  obtain  it. 

How  particular  the  evangelist  is  in  mention- 
ing the  water,  and  how  it  was  procured.     This 


190  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

speciality  is  not  to  be  observed  when  speaking 
of  baptism  in  general.  They  were  travel- 
ing on  a  road  that,  doubtless,  led  through  a 
desert  country.  If  the  evangelist  had  simply 
narrated  the  case  by  saying,  "  He  baptized 
him,"  infidels  might  cavil  and  deny  the  whole 
history,  and  say,  "Where  was  the  water? 
and,  if  water,  whether  did  he  baptize  him  in 
the  carriage  or  out  of  it?  and  if  in  the  chariot, 
how  did  he  get  the  water  there?"  The  evan- 
gelist is,  therefore,  particular  in  stating  that  both 
Philip  and  the  eunuch  went  down  from  the 
chariot  to  the  ground,  and  from  thence  to  the 
water,  and  there  he  baptized  him.  The  word 
used  here  is  xatsj5rtaav,  which  is  from  xatajSaivu, 
to  go  down,  to  descend,  to  disembark.  Then, 
they  went  down,  descended,  or  disembarked 
from  the  chariot.  The  going  down,  spoken 
of  here,  is  not  used  in  the  sense  of  going  down 
to  the  water,  but  simply,  going  down  from 
the  chariot  to  the  ground ;  and  from  thence, 
they  went  to  or  for  the  water,  both  Philip  and 
the  eunuch,  and  there  he  baptized  him.  Im- 
mersion can  never  be  made  out  of  this  case, 
when  properly  understood. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  191 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  baptisin  of  the  Israelites. 

"  Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye 
should  be  ignorant  how  that  all  our  fathers 
were  under  the  cloud,  and  all  passed  through 
the  sea ;  and  were  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in 
the  cloud  and  in  the  sea,"  1  Cor.  x,  1,  2. 

To  be  baptized  unto  Moses  is  to  be  con~ 
secratcd  by  a  solemn  act — to  be  devoted  to  the 
doctrines  and  duties  of  that  dispensation  of 
which  he  was  mediator.  Likewise,  to  be  bap- 
tized into,  or  rather  unto  Christ,  is  to  be  con- 
secrated to  Christ,  as  the  mediator  of  the  new 
and  everlasting  covenant.  And  if  the  word 
"baptize"  is  to  be  translated,  perhaps  the  En- 
glish language  does  not  furnish  a  more  appro- 
priate word  than  "consecrate ." 

The  next  inquiry  will  be,  How  was  this 
consecration,  or  baptism,  performed  ? 

The  Israelites  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the 
Red  Sea — the  Egyptians  were  rushing  upon 
them — the  cloud  that  led  them,  and  was  in 
their  front,  now  passed  over  them,  and  stood 
in  their  rear.  The  Lord  commanded  "  Moses 
to  stretch  out  his  hand  over  the  sea ;  and  the 


192  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

Lord  caused  the  sea  to  go  back  by  a  strong 
east  wind  all  that  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry 
land,  and  the  waters  were  divided.  *  *  * 
And  the  children  of  Israel  walked  on  dry 
ground  in  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  the  waters 
were  a  wall  on  their  right  hand  and  their  left," 
Ex.  xiv.  Their  baptism  could  not  be  by  im- 
mersion, for  they  walked  through  the  sea  on 
dry  ground.  They  "  were  under  the  cloud" 
and  its  natural  operation  would  be  to  sprinkle, 
or  pour  out  water,  which,  doubtless,  was  the 
mode  of  baptism  in  the  above  case.  We  are 
informed  by  the  Psalmist:  "The  waters  saw 
thee,  O  God,  the  waters  saw  thee :  they  were 
afraid;  the  depths  also  were  troubled.  The 
clouds  poured  out  water ;  the  skies  sent  out  a 
sound,  thy  arrows  also  went  abroad.  The 
voice  of  thy  thunder  was  in  the  heaven:  the 
lightnings  lightened  the  world :  the  earth  trem- 
bled and  shook.  Thy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and 
thy  path  in  the  great  waters,  and  thy  footsteps 
are  not  known.  Thou  leddest  thy  people  like 
a  flock  by  the  hand  of  Moses  and  Aaron," 
Ps.  lxxvii.  This  clearly  describes  the  passage 
of  the  children  of  Israel  through  the  Red  Sea ; 
and   we  are  informed   the   clouds  poured  out 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  193 

water.  This  baptism  is  more  particularly  re- 
ferred to  in  the  sixty-eighth  Psalm  :  "  O  God, 
when  thou  wentest  forth  before  thy  people, 
when  thou  didst  march  through  the  wilder- 
ness. Selah.  The  earth  shook,  the  heavens 
dropped  at  the  presence  of  God:  even  Sinai 
itself  was  moved  at  the  presence  of  God,  the 
God  of  Israel.  Thou,  O  God,  didst  send  a 
■plentiful  rain,  whereby  thou  didst  confirm 
thine  inheritance  when  it  was  weary."  This 
"plentiful  rain"  which  the  Lord  sent  on  the 
children  of  Israel,  was  to  confirm  their  inher- 
itance unto  them.  This  confirming  shower, 
Paul  calls,  "  baptized  unto  Moses  ;"  and  then 
He  miraculously  furnished  the  Israelites  in  the 
wilderness  with  water  and  provisions  ;  and  to 
shield  them  from  the  scorching  rays  of  an 
Arabian  sun,  "  He  spread  a  cloud  for  their 
covering,"  Ps.  cv,  39. 

Our  opponents,  even  in  this  plain  case  of 
sprinkling,  try  to  make  out  immersion  !  Some 
of  them  say,  "  The  average  depth  of  the  Red 
Sea,  where  the  Israelites  crossed,  was  fifteen 
hundred  feet  deep ;  the  water  standing  on  the 
right  and  on  the  left  as  a  wall,  and  the  cloud 
resting  on  the  top;  and  thus  they  were  im- 
13 


194  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

mersed  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea."  This 
is  beautiful  imagery,  indeed !  Well,  we  will 
grant  all  they  ask,  and  we  will  see  if  we  can 
make  immersion,  or  even  the  figure  of  immer- 
sion. We  will  suppose  the  watery  walls  of  the 
Red  Sea  stood  perpendicularly  fifteen  hundred 
feet  high,  the  children  of  Israel  down  between 
these  walls,  walking  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
the  cloud  resting  on  the  top  of  those  walls,  or 
above  them — would  this  make  out  immersion  ? 
To  be  immersed,  is  to  be  completely  sur- 
rounded, above,  below,  and  all  around.  Now, 
what  was  there  in  iheu  front  and  rear?  Noth- 
ing. Well,  this  would  not  make  out  a  case 
of  immersion.  But  we  are  willing  to  go  far- 
ther, and  suppose  they  were  covered  above, 
and  surrounded  on  their  right  and  left,  front, 
and  rear.  Would  this  be  an  immersion  in  the 
cloud  and  in  the  sea?  They  would  only  be 
three-fourths  immersed ;  for,  recollect,  neither 
the  cloud  nor  the  sea  was  below  them,  for  they 
walked  on  dry  ground!  And,  to  make  out 
such  an  immersion  as  our  opponents  wish, 
Paul  should  have  said,  "  They  were  all  bap- 
tized unto  Moses  in  the  cloud,  and  in  the  sea, 
and  in  the  dry  ground!" 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  195 

We  will  now  show  there  is  no  foundation 
for  the  whole  of  this  ideal  immersion.  Dr. 
Clarke  says,  (see  his  Com.  on  Ex.  xiv,) 
"  That  part  of  the  sea  over  which  the  children 
of  Israel  passed,  was,  according  to  Mr.  Bruce, 
and  other  travelers,  about  four  leagues  (twelve 
miles)  across,  and,  therefore,  might  easily  be 
crossed  in  one  night.  It  has  been  observed, 
that  in  the  place  where  the  Israelites  are  sup- 
posed to  have  passed,  the  water  is  about  four- 
teen  fathoms,  or  twenty-eight  yards  deep." 
The  camp  of  Israel  had  the  form  of  the  hollow 
square — three  tribes  in  front,  three  on  the 
right,  three  on  the  left,  and  three  in  the  rear, 
with  the  tabernacle  in  the  centre,  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  Levites.  After  this  manner 
they  marched,  as  we  are  informed:  "  So  they 
pitched  by  their  standards,  and  so  they  set  for- 
ward, (marched,)  every  one  after  their  families, 
according  to  the  house  of  their  fathers,"  Num. 
ii,  34.  (See  the  draft  and  notes  on  the  above 
chapter  by  Dr.  Clarke.) 

Our  opponents  first  presume  the  sea  to  be 
fifteen  hundred  feet  deep.  We  see  from  the 
quotation  from  Dr.  Clarke,  it  is  only  twenty- 
eight  yards,  or  eighty-four  feet.     The  second 


196  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

presumption  they  make  is,  the  sea  divided — 
the  water  standing  on  the  right  and  left  as 
walls.  They  suppose  the  passage  to  be  about 
the  width  of  a  common  street.  They  marched 
agreeable  to  their  encampment,  three  tribes 
forming  each  line  of  the  hollow  square,  cover- 
ing an  area  in  circumference  of  twelve  miles, 
so  their  front  was  at  least  three  miles.  It  must 
have  been  a  front  of  at  least  three  miles,  or 
else  the  camp  could  not  cross  in  one  night,  for 
that  was  the  time  they  occupied  in  crossing. 
For  instance,  when  Xerxes  was  about  to  pass 
into  Europe  from  Asia,  across  the  Hellespont, 
now  the  Straits  of  Dardanelles,  he  had  two 
bridges  of  boats  erected,  and  it  occupied  his 
army  of  one  million  and  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand men,  "  seven  days  and  seven  nights  in 
passing  over  these  straits ;  those  who  were 
appointed  to  conduct  the  march  lashing  the 
poor  soldiers  all  the  while  with  whips,  in  order 
to  quicken  their  speed."  (Rollin's  An.  Hist., 
vol.  iii,  p.  19.)  Here  the  number  is  but  a  little 
over  half  as  many  as  were  in  the  camp  of 
Israel.  In  order  to  cross  over  the  sea,  a  dis- 
tance of  twelve  or  thirteen  miles,  they  must 
have   occupied    a   space   at   least   three   miles 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  197 

wide  ;  and  then,  with  an  altitude  of  water  only 
eighty-four  feet  on  the  right  and  left,  it  will  be 
with  great  difficulty  that  even  an  ideal  im- 
mersion can  be  made  out! 

The  whole  mistake  of  our  opponents  here 
is  supposing  there  was  but  one  baptism,  and 
that  a  conjoint  baptism  of  the  cloud  and  sea. 
There,  doubtless,  were  two  baptisms,  the  one 
with  the  cloud  and  the  other  with  the  sea. 
The  apostle  first  states  they  were  "  under  the 
cloud."  This  he  afterwards  explains  by  say- 
ing, "baptized  with  the  cloud."  (We  say 
"with" — this  is  the  general  translation  of  this 
word  in  other  places,  and  thus  it  reads  in  this 
place  in  the  German  Bible.)  And,  secondly, 
"and  all  passed  through  the  sea;"  and  from 
the  strong  east  wind  that  blew,  they  were 
sprinkled  with  the  spray  of  the  sea.  This  he 
calls  "  baptized  with  the  sea."  "  Baptized  in 
the  cloud  and  in  the  sea,"  conveys  the  idea  of 
two  distinct  baptisms,  or  times  of  baptizing. 
For  instance,  "Washington  fought  with  the 
British  in  New  Jersey  and  in  Virginia.  This 
conveys  the  idea  of  more  than  one  battle : 
well,  baptized  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea. 


198  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

On  Romans  vi,  and  Colossians  ii. 
The  above  are  always  brought  forward  by 
our  Baptist  brethren,  especially  when  they  are 
proselyting.  They  say,  "  You  must  be  buried 
with  Christ  in  baptism  ;  and  this  you  cannot 
do,  if  you  only  have  a  little  water  sprinkled  on 
the  face."  Charmed  and  captivated  by  the 
mere  sound  of  the  passage,  they  lead  off  with 
this  main  position,  that  baptism  is  a  "burial," 
"  and  if  so,  immersion  must  be  the  mode." 
This  should  be  proved  by  them,  instead  of 
taking  it  for  granted.  We  will  show  the  whole 
theory  of  our  opponents  in  the  above  is  entirely 
fanciful.  The  whole  passage  reads  as  follows: 
"  What  shall  we  say  then?  Shall  we  continue 
in  sin,  that  grace  may  abound  ?  God  forbid  : 
how  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any 
longer  therein?  Know  ye  not  that  so  many 
of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ,  (not 
ivater,)  were  baptized  into  his  death  ?  There- 
fore we  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into 
death,  (not  ivater,)  that  like  as  Christ  was 
raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the 
Father,  even  so  we  also  should  walk  in  new- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  199 

ness  of  life.  For  if  we  have  been  planted 
together  in  the  likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall 
be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection : 
knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  is  crucified 
with  him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  de- 
stroyed, that  henceforth  we  should  not  serve 
sin." 

We  have  already  stated,  in  the  argument  on 
infant  baptism,  that  this  has  reference  to  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  therefore,  it  does 
not  refer  to  water  baptism,  much  less  the  mode. 
To  show  this,  reference  will  be  had  to  the 
point  under  discussion  by  the  apostle.  And 
what  is  that?  He  was  repelling  a  charge 
that  was  maliciously  and  slanderously  brought 
against  him  by  some  of  his  enemies :  namely, 
"  And  not  rather  (as  we  be  slanderously  re- 
ported, and  as  some  affirm  that  we  say)  Let  us 
do  evil,  that  good  may  come  ?  whose  damna- 
tion is  just,"  Romans  iii,  8.  They  said  Paul 
taught  the  doctrine,  that  "  where  sin  abounded 
grace  did  much  more  abound,"  Romans  v,  20. 
"  So  the  more  we  sin,  the  richer  we  will  be 
in  grace."  See  in  what  a  bold  manner  he 
attacks  this  charge !  "  What  shall  we  say 
then?     Shall  we  continue   in   sin   that  grace 


200  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

may  abound  ?  God  forbid."  He  then  goes  on 
and  reasons  with  the  brethren  of  Rome,  and 
shows  it  to  be  contrary  to  philosophy  and  re- 
ligion. He  asks  the  question,  "How  shall 
we  that  are  dead  to  sin  live  any  longer  there- 
in?" If  dead  to  sin,  they  could  not  live  any 
longer  in  the  enjoyment  of  it;  neither  could 
they  desire  it.  How  could  a  man  literally 
dead  live  in  the  world  ?  " l  Bow  shall  we  that 
are  dead  to  sin :'  the  phraseology  of  this  verse 
is  common  among  Hebrews,  Greeks,  and  Lat- 
ins. To  die  to  a  thing,  or  person,  is  to  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it  or  him — to  be  totally 
separated  from  them  ;  and  to  live  to  a  thing,  or 
person,  is  to  be  wholly  given  up  to  them — to 
have  the  most  intimate  connection  with  them. 
Nihil  mecum  tibi,  mortuus  tibi  sum  :  /  have 
nothing  to  do  with  thee — I  am  dead  to  thee" 
(See  Dr.  Clarke's  Commentary.)  Those  who 
were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  received  that  marvelous  change 
wrought  in  the  heart  by  his  energies,  have 
died  unto  sin  and  the  world,  and  have  awaked 
unto  newness  of  life.  As  Christ  was  literally 
dead,  and  arose  from  the  dead,  so  must  the 
sinner  who  is  alive  to  the  world  and  sin,  die 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  201 

•  o  the  world  and  sin :  and  as  he  is  not  only 
bruised  and  maimed,  halt  and  blind — the 
whole  head  sick  and  the  heart  faint,  but  dead 
in  trespasses  and  sins  :  and  as  Christ  was  raised 
from  the  dead  by  the  power  of  God,  so 
must  the  sinner  be  raised  from  this  spiritual, 
or  moral  death  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  "to  walk  in  newness  of  life."  This 
spiritual  baptism,  or  change  of  heart  makes  the 
individual  a  new  creature.  Old  things  have 
passed  away  and  behold  all  things  become  new. 
The  natural  tendency  of  this  change  of  heart 
is,  to  cause  him  to  walk  in  newness  of  life. 
John  says,  "  Whosoever  abideth  in  him  sinneth 
not." 

To  show  this  in  a  clearer  light,  the  apostle 
goes  on  and  changes  the  figure,  and  says, 
"  But  if  we  have  been  planted  together  in  the 
likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall  be  in  the  like- 
ness of  his  resurrection."  "Dr.  Taylor  ob- 
serves that  our  translation  does  not  completely 
express  the  apostle's  meaning.  Ta  av/jupvta 
are  such  plants  as  grow  the  one  upon  and  in 
the  other,  deriving  sap  and  nourishment  from 
it,  as  the  mistletoe  upon  the  oak,  or  the  scion 
upon   the   stock  in  which  it  is  grafted.     He 


202  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

would,  therefore,  translate  the  words :  For  if  we 
have  been  growers  together  with  Christ  in  the 
likeness  of  his  death,  (or  in  that  which  is  like 
his  death,)  we  shall  be  also  growers  together 
with  him  in  the  likeness  of  his  resurrection  ; 
or  in  that  which  is  like  his  resurrection.  He 
reckons  it  is  a  beautiful  metaphor,  taken  from 
grafting,  or  making  the  scion  grow  together 
with  a  new  stock."  (See  Clarke's  Com.) 
The  apostle  means  precisely  the  same  thing  in 
the  above  expression,  as  he  does  when  he  says, 
*'  Therefore  we  are  buried  with  him  by  bap- 
tism into  death."  If  being  buried  with  him  by 
baptism  means  immersion,  what  does  it  mean 
when  he  says,  "  Being  planted  together  in  the 
likeness  of  his  death?"  It  must,  also,  mean 
immersion !  And  what  resemblance  is  there 
between  planting  a  young  tree,  or  plant,  the 
roots  only  being  put  under  the  ground,  or 
grafting  a  scion  on  a  stock,  and  plunging  a  man 
under  the  water ! 

Again :  to  make  it  still  more  certain  that  the 
apostle  is  not  speaking  of  immersion,  but  a 
change  of  heart,  he  again  changes  the  figure, 
and  says,  "Knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  is 
crucified  with  him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  203 

be  destroyed,  that  henceforth  we  should  not 
serve  sin."  The  same  meaning  and  doctrine 
are  taught  in  those  three  figures:  "Buried  by- 
baptism  into  death;"  " planted  together  in  the 
likeness  of  his  death;"  "and  the  old  man  is 
crucified  with  him."  What  resemblance  is 
there  between  the  Savior  being  nailed  to  the 
cross  and  crucified,  and  a  person  being  im- 
mersed in  water !  This  passage  must  be  con- 
strued literally,  or  spiritually.  If  literally,  then 
we  must  be  literally  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ, 
(that  is,  immersed  into  him,)  literally  planted 
together  with  the  Savior  in  the  likeness  of  his 
death,  and  literally  crucified  with  him ;  and 
this  would  be  literal  nonsense.  This  is  the 
way  our  opponents  would  have  the  world  to 
understand  this  subject — literally  buried  with 
him  in  water!  Then  we  must  understand  it 
as  having  a  spiritual  allusion.  The  person 
having  been  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ,  or 
having  experienced  the  new  birth,  and  made  a 
new  creature,  has  experienced  a  death  unto 
sin  and  the  world,  and  a  moral  and  spiritual 
resurrection,  and  walks  in  newness  of  life. 

To  show  still  further,  that  there  is  no  refer- 
ence to  water  baptism,  the  apostle  tells  us  how 


204  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

we  are  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ:  "For  by 
one  Spirit  we  are  all  baptized  into  one  body," 
1  Cor.  xii,  13.  This  is,  indeed,  the  fulfillment 
of  John's  prophecy:  "I,  indeed,  baptize  you 
with  water,  but  He  shall  baptize  you  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire."  John  baptized 
the  Church  with  water,  but  the  Savior  with 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

In  Col.  ii,  11,  12,  the  apostle  changes  the 
figure  again,  and  says,  "In  whom,  also,  ye 
are  circumcised  with  the  circumcision  made 
without  hands,  in  putting  away  the  body  of 
the  sins  of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision  of 
Christ."  And  this  "  circumcision  made  with- 
out hands,"  is  explained  to  be  "buried  with 
him  in  baptism."  This  being  the  case,  all 
must  see  it  is  not  a  physical,  or  literal  bap- 
tism, but  a  spiritual  one,  because  it  is  made 
"without  hands."  When  the  apostle  says, 
"  Buried  with  him  in  baptism,  wherein,  also, 
ye  are  risen  with  him  through  the  faith  of  the 
operation  of  God,"  a  regular  antithesis  is 
formed — one  part  opposed  to  the  other.  If  the 
first  part  mean  to  be  physically  and  literally 
buried  in  water,  the  second  part  means  a  literal 
and  physical  raising  out  of  the  water  by  the 


TREATISE    OX    BAPTISM.  205 

muscular  force  of  the  administrator.  But  this 
does  not  agree  with  the  apostle ;  for  he  says, 
"Ye  are  risen  with  him  through  the  faith  of 
the  operation  of  God."  If,  then,  the  resurrec- 
tion spoken  of  is  "  through  the  faith  of  the 
operation  of  God,"  it  must  be  spiritual,  and 
not  literal ;  and,  of  course,  the  opposing  part 
of  the  antithesis,  namely,  buried  with  him  in 
baptism,  must  be  spiritual. 

Our  opponents  say,  "  The  burial  spoken  of 
in  Rom.  vi,  and  the  baptism  are  synonymous. 
'Buried,'  and  'baptized,'  mean  the  same  act: 
buried  in  baptism,  and  baptized  in  the  burial." 
The  interpretation  of  a  word  will  always  make 
good  sense,  if  substituted  for  the  original. 
They  say,  "Baptism  means  immersion,  and 
immersion  means  a  burial,  and  a  burial  means 
a  baptism."  Well,  we  will  read  it  so :  "  There- 
fore, we  are  immersed  with  him  by  immer- 
sion." This  would  make  the  great  apostle 
Paul,  who  was,  in  addition  to  his  plenary  in- 
spiration, a  logician  of  the  highest  order,  speak 
nonsense. 

We  will  now  prove  the  "baptism"  and 
"burial"  spoken  of  here  to  be  two  different 
things  ;  and,   if  so,  the  whole  theory  of  oui 


206  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

opponents,  as  built  on  this  passage,  must  go 
overboard,  without  the  hope  of  a  rescue;  be- 
cause, it  is  on  the  supposition  they  are  the  one 
and  same  act — mean  precisely  the  same  thing. 
Whatever  this  "burial"  may  be,  it  is  accom- 
plished by  baptism,  as  the  instrument ;  there- 
fore, it  must  differ  from  it.  "  Buried  by  bap- 
tism:" baptism  stands  here  as  the  instrument 
that  accomplishes  the  burial,  and,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  must  differ  from  it.  It  stands  in  the 
relation  of  cause,  and  burial  the  effect.  To 
say  the  cause  and  effect  are  precisely  the  same 
thing,  is  marvelous  indeed ! 

We  will  make  this  plain  by  a  few  illustra- 
tions. We  will  suppose  before  us  is  a  dead 
man  by  the  name  of  A.  We  will  call  on  a 
man  by  the  name  of  B.  to  bury  him.  He  goes 
and  digs  a  grave,  and  takes  the  corpse  and  lays 
it  in  it,  and  pours  the  earth  on  him,  until  he  is 
buried.  A.,  the  dead  man,  was  buried  by  B., 
the  live  man.  Do  you  not  see  a  difference 
between  B.,  the  live  man,  and  the  burial  of  the 
dead  man  A.,  accomplished  by  him?  Well, 
buried  with  him  by  baptism ;  therefore,  bap- 
tism is  the  agent  that  accomplishes  the  burial, 
and,  of  course,  differs  from  it. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  207 

Again :  we  will  suppose  we  have  some  corn 
in  our  hand.  "We  will  say  to  our  servant, 
"  Take  a  hoe  and  bury  it."  He  does  so.  The 
corn  was  buried  by  the  hoe :  the  hoe  was  the 
instrument  that  accomplished  the  burial.  We 
see  there  is  a  clear  and  manifest  difference 
between  the  "baptism"  and  "burial."  The 
one  the  cause,  and  the  other  the  effect.  Then 
the  idea  of  immersion  is  clearly  out  of  the 
question ;  for  the  whole  theory  of  the  immer- 
sionist  is  built  on  the  supposition  they  were 
one. 

The  position  that  baptism  is  a  burial,  and  a 
burial  is  a  baptism,  is  without  any  foundation 
in  Scripture.  A  few  instances  will  show  this. 
And  Abraham  said  unto  the  sons  of  Heth,  "  I 
am  a  stranger  and  a  sojourner  with  you :  give 
me  a  possession  of  a  burying-place  with  you, 
that  I  may  bury  rny  dead  out  of  my  sight," 
Gen.  xxiii,  4.  That  is,  baptize  them  out  of 
his  sight!  "And  after  this,  Abraham  buried 
Sarah  his  wife  in  the  cave  of  the  field  of  Mach- 
pelah,  before  Mamre :"  that  is,  baptized  Sa- 
rah, his  wife,  in  the  cave  of  the  field  of  Mach- 
pelah,  before  Mamre.  And  Jacob  said  unto 
his  sons,  "I  am  to  be  gathered  unto  my  peo- 


208  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

pie :  bury  me  with  my  fathers  in  the  cave  that 
is  in  the  field  of  Ephron  the  Hittite,"  Gen. 
xlix,  29:  that  is,  they  should  baptize  him  in 
the  cave  that  is  in  the  field  of  Ephron,  the  Hit- 
tite!  Again:  "And  another  of  his  disciples 
said  unto  him,  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and 
bury  my  father:"  that  is,  baptize  him  !  "  But 
Jesus  said  unto  him,  Follow  me,  and  let  the 
dead  bury  their  dead :"  that  is,  let  the  dead 
baptize  their  dead ! 

Our  opponents  say,  "  The  design  of  bap- 
tism is  to  represent  the  burial  and  resurrection 
of  Jesus  Christ."  Admitting,  for  a  moment, 
this  to  be  the  case,  it  could  not  be  done  by  im- 
mersion. The  tomb  of  Christ  was  the  sep- 
ulchre of  Joseph,  which  was  cut  out  of  a  rock ; 
the  floor,  or  bottom  of  it  was,  perhaps,  on  a 
level  with  the  ground.  He  was  taken  and  laid 
in  it.  This  would  be  like  taking  a  corpse  in  a 
basement  story  of  a  house,  and  laying  it  down 
in  the  appointed  place.  A  large  stone  was 
rolled  to  the  door ;  and  in  the  morning  of  the 
third  day,  an  angel  came  and  rolled  it  away, 
and  Christ  was  awaked  by  the  power  of  God, 
and  he  came  forth  from  death's  dark  domain. 
How   could    immersion    represent    this   most 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  209 

glorious  scene !  If  the  Christian  baptism  is  to 
represent  the  burial  of  Christ,  then  it  is  a  com- 
memorative ordinance,  and  should  oft  be  re- 
peated, like  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  sup- 
per, to  refresh  our  memory.  Again :  The 
burial  of  Christ,  for  aught  we  know,  may  be 
of  no  more  importance  to  us  than  his  wearing  a 
crown  of  thorns  and  the  purple  robe.  But  why 
no  sacrament  to  represent  that,  and  so  on,  and 
every  incident  in  Christ's  life  have  its  own  com- 
memorative sacrament?  Then  could  we  out- 
number the  Catholics  in  sacraments.  Besides, 
we  have  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  supper  to 
represent  the  shedding  of  Christ's  blood  and 
the  breaking  of  his  body — in  a  word,  his  death 
and  resurrection,  with  all  that  he  has  done  for 
us,  while  we  have  no  sacrament,  unless  it  is 
baptism,  to  represent  what  the  Holy  Ghost 
does  for  us  in  applying  the  merit  of  Christ's 
blood,  and  changing  and  purifying  our  hearts. 
Have  we  two  sacraments  to  represent  what 
Christ  has  done  for  us,  and  none  to  represent 
the  agency  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  our  salvation? 
We  think  not. 

We  will  now  show  this  position  to  be  unten- 
able and  unscriptural. 

14 


210  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

The  design  of  water  baptism  is  to  represent 
the  "sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Christ,"  or  the 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  we  have  already- 
stated.  Christ  has  instituted  the  eucharist,  or 
Lord's  supper,  as  a  memento  of  his  sufferings, 
and  an  institution  to  represent  his  death, 
burial,  resurrection,  ascension,  intercession, 
and  his  second  coming  to  judge  the  world. 
This  is  all  embraced  in  the  Lord's  supper 
Paul  says,  "  For  as  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread, 
and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the  Lord's 
death  till  he  come,"  1  Cor.  xi,  26. 

To  make  it  still  plainer  that  baptism  is  not 
to  represent  the  fact  that  Christ  was  laid  in  Jo- 
seph's sepulchre,  and  his  resurrection  from  the 
dead,  we  will  present  to  you  the  faith  and 
practice  of  the  apostles  before  the  crucifixion 
of  the  Savior.  It  is  a  fact  they  baptized 
thousands  before  that  time.  Being  with  the 
Savior  daily  for  three  years  and  a  half,  it  must 
be  presumed,  or  admitted,  they  were  thor- 
oughly instructed  in  reference  to  the  design  of 
baptism  ;  and  if  they  had  been  instructed  it 
was  to  represent  the  Savior's  burial  and  resur- 
rection, they  would  have,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
embraced  the  doctrine  of  his  resurrection  ;  but 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  211 

this  was  not  the  case.  The  same  day  that 
Christ  arose  from  the  dead,  two  of  the  dis- 
ciples went  to  Emmaus,  a  village  not  far  from 
Jerusalem,  and  the  Savior  fell  in  company  with 
them ;  but  they  did  not  know  him,  but  con- 
versed with  him  on  the  subject  of  his  death 
and  resurrection,  and  said,  "Yea,  and  certain 
women,  also,  of  our  company  made  us  aston- 
ished, which  were  early  at  the  sepulchre  * 
*  *  said  he  was  alive."  This  being  a  fact, 
they  had  not  the  most  distant  idea  that  the  de- 
sign of  baptism  was  to  represent  the  burial 
and  resurrection  of  Christ,  "  For  as  yet  they 
knew  not  the  Scripture,  that  he  must  arise 
again  from  the  dead,"  John  xx,  9.  After  the 
Savior  had  appeared  to  all  the  disciples  but 
Thomas,  and  they  reported  the  fact  to  him, 
the  idea  was  so  astounding  and  extraordinary, 
that  he  "  said  unto  them,  Except  I  shall  see  in 
his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my 
fingers  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust 
my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe," 
John  xx,  25.  Can  it  be  supposed  that  Thom- 
as, with  the  rest  of  the  disciples,  had  been 
administering  baptism  to  thousands  for  three 
years  and  a  half,  and  teaching  them  that  the  de- 


212  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

sign  of  baptism  was  to  represent  the  burial  and 
resurrection  of  Christ,  that  would  take  place, 
when  he,  and  they,  had  not  as  "  yet  known 
the  Scripture,  that  he  must  arise  from  the 
dead !"  This  is  to  suppose  an  impossibility. 
To  be  an  immersionist,  you  must  believe  all 
this  :  that  the  apostles  baptized  to  represent  the 
burial  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  and  taught 
the  same,  when  they  themselves  did  not  know 
he  must  arise  from  the  dead ! 

Permit  me  here  to  introduce  a  query.  Is  it 
necessary  to  have  correct  views  of  the  use  and 
design  of  baptism  to  make  it  valid,  though  the 
mode  maybe  correct?  Or,  will  a  perverted 
use,  or  design  of  baptism  render  it  nugatory? 
Suppose  we  were  to  invite  the  Church  mem- 
bers to  come  and  partake  of  the  Lord's  supper, 
and  we  should  state  the  object  of  the  sacrament 
to  be  a  representation  of  the  crucifixion  of 
Peter,  and  we  should  rehearse  the  circumstances 
of  his  death,  and  portray  his  sufferings  in  a 
vivid  manner,  so  that  the  minds  of  the  com- 
municants are  fixed  upon  Peter's  death  while 
they  receive  and  partake  of  the  bread  and  wine, 
yet  in  all  other  respects  they  conform  to  the 
mode,  and  all  the  directions  in  the  word  of  God 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  213 

concerning  this  institution  :  I  ask  if  they  have 
validly  received  the  sacrament?  The  great 
apostle  would  answer,  "  They  have  eaten  and 
drunk  to  themselves  condemnation,  because 
they  did  not  discern  the  Lord's  body."  If, 
then,  having  an  improper  object  in  view  inval- 
idates an  ordinance,  those  whose  object  in 
baptism  was  to  represent  the  burial  of  Christ, 
are,  indeed,  as  unbaptized  (though  they  may 
have  been  immersed  in  Lake  Erie)  as  if  not  a 
drop  of  water  touched  them.  It  is  our  opinion 
a  perverted  use  and  design  of  baptism  will 
render  it  nugatory.  For  instance :  we  will 
suppose  a  sect  will  arise  and  teach  that  a 
person  must  be  baptized  to  represent  the  trans- 
figuration of  Christ  on  the  mount,  and  would 
practice  accordingly.  Query  :  would  their  bap- 
tism be  the  Christian  baptism  ?  Or,  suppose 
another  sect  would  start  up  and  teach  that 
the  design  of  baptism  is  to  represent  Christ's 
forty  days  and  nights  temptation  in  the  wilder- 
ness, or  his  triumphant  entry  into  Jerusalem  : 
though  the  mode  and  ceremony  be  correct, 
would  it  be  Christian  baptism?  It  is  evident 
it  would  not ;  for  it  would  be  a  perversion  of 
the  use  and  design  of  Christian  baptism.     And 


214  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

for  aught  we  know,  baptism,  in  fact,  could 
represent  Christ's  forty  days  and  nights  temp- 
tation of  the  devil  in  the  wilderness,  as  well  as 
the  three  days  in  the  sepulchre. 

Well,  then,  if  the  teaching  and  practice  of 
the  immersion  Churches  are  wrong,  when  they 
say  baptism  is  to  represent  the  burial  and 
resurrection  of  Christ,  which  is  evidently  h 
perverted  view  of  the  use  and  design  of  bap- 
tism, is  not  their  baptism  invalid  and  nugatory? 
This  is  the  view  that  Paul  takes  of  circum 
cision  :  "  For  circumcision  verily  profiteth,  if 
thou  keep  the  law ;  but  if  thou  be  a  breaker  of 
the  law,  thy  circumcision  is  made  uncircum- 
cision"  Rom.  ii,  25.  This  being  the  case, 
are  there  not  more  unbaptized  persons  in  the 
immersion  Churches  than  all  others,  notwith- 
standing their  boasting,  that  they  practice  that 
mode  of  baptism  admitted  by  all  to  bt  correct? 

But,  admitting  for  a  moment  the  design  of 
baptism  is  to  represent  the  burial  and  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ,  pouring,  according  to  the 
Scriptures,  would  do  it ;  but  not  immersion. 
"  Now  when  Jesus  was  in  Bethany,  in  the 
house  of  Simon  the  leper,  there  came  unto  him 
a  woman  having  an  alabaster-box  of  very  pre- 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  215 

cious  ointment,  and  poured  it  on  his  head  as  he 
sat  at  meat.  But  when  his  disciples  saw  it, 
they  had  indignation,  saying,  To  what  purpose 
is  this  waste  ?  For  this  ointment  might  have 
been  sold  for  much,  and  given  to  the  poor. 
When  Jesus  understood  it,  he  said  unto  them, 
Why  trouble  ye  the  woman?  for  she  hath 
wrought  a  good  work  upon  me.  For  ye  have 
the  poor  always  with  you  ;  but  me  ye  have 
not  always.  For  in  that  she  hath  poured  this 
ointment  on  my  body,  she  did  it  for  my 
burial."  Matt,  xxvi,  6-12.  Here  we  see,  the 
woman  poured  a  little  ointment  on  the  Savior's 
head;  and  he  said  she  hath  poured  it  on  his 
body,  and  she  did  it  for  his  burial.  Nowhere 
in  the  Scripture  is  the  idea  held  out  that  plung- 
ing, or  immersion,  is  to  represent  a  burial. 

There  are  two  leading,  or  fundamental  princi- 
ples in  theology,  whereby  we  expect  to  obtain 
eternal  salvation  :  1.  The  shed  blood  of  Christ, 
for  the  remission  of  our  sins.  2.  The  applica- 
tion of  that  blood  to  our  hearts  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  whereby  we  obtain  a  pardon  of,  and  a 
cleansing  from  sin.  There  are  two  sacraments 
divinely  appointed  in  the  Church  to  represent 
them:   1.  The  eucharist:  "  As  often  as  ye  eat 


216  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

this  bread  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  show  the 
Lord's  death  till  he  come."  2.  Baptism: 
"  For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into 
one  body;"  "Our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an 
evil  conscience,  and  our  bodies  washed  with 
pure  water." 

But  our  opponents  say,  "  But  ye  have  obeyed 
from  the  heart  that  form  of  doctrine  which  was 
delivered  unto  you,"  Rom.  vi,  17.  And  taking 
for  granted  "that  form  of  doctrine"  was  a 
burial  in  water,  they  come,  triumphantly,  to 
the  conclusion,  that  immersion  is  the  mode  of 
baptism.  Doctrine,  or  the  "  form  of  doctrine," 
has  been,  by  the  Scripture,  compared  to  the 
falling  of  dew  and  rain.  Moses  says,  "My 
doctrine  shall  drop  as  the  rain,  my  speech 
shall  distil  as  the  clew,  as  the  small  rain  upon 
the  tender  herb,  and  as  the  showers  upon  the 
grass,"  Deut.  xxxii,  2.  If,  then,  the  "form 
of  doctrine"  is  to  settle  the  mode  of  baptism, 
it  is  certain  sprinkling  is  the  Bible  mode. 

But,  once  more :  "  We  are  buried  with  him 
in  baptism."  This  burial  has  continued  from 
the  time  it  took  place  with  the  apostle,  and  the 
brethren  at  Rome,  until  the  time  of  writing  his 
epistle  to  them.     If  this  mean  a  literal  burial  in 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  217 

water,  as  our  immersionist  friends  say,  then 
Paul  must  have  been  a  good  while  under  water  ! 
He  was  converted  and  baptized,  A.  D.  33  ;  he 
wrote  this  epistle  to  the  Romans,  A.  D.  58 ; 
which  would  make  twenty-five  years  he  was 
under  the  water.  This  being  the  case,  he 
must  have  been  preaching  to  the  people,  and 
writing  his  epistles  to  the  different  Churches, 
though  literally  buried  under  water  all  that 
time !  The  apostle  says,  "  We  are  buried." 
That  burial  continued  from  the  time  it  took  place 
until  the  time  of  writing  this  epistle,  which 
shows  clearly  it  could  not  have  been  a  literal 
burial  in  water.  For  as  the  death  is  spiritual, 
the  resurrection  to  "  newness  of  life,"  of  course, 
is  spiritual.  Well,  we  have,  1st,  a  death;  2d, 
a  burial ;  3d,  a  resurrection.  The  death  is  spir- 
itual ;  the  resurrection  is  spiritual ;  then,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  the  burial  must  be  spiritual. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  baptism  on  the  day  of  Pentecost — The  baptism  of 
Cornelius — The  baptism  of  Paul — The  baptism  of  the 
jailer. 

The   baptism    on    the    day   of   Pentecost. 

The  disciples   were   all   assembled   with   one 


218  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

accord,  in  one  place — probably  in  an  upper 
room,  in  Jerusalem.  The  Holy  Ghost  was 
poured  out  upon  them  the  third  hour  of  the 
day,  which  answers  to  our  9  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  They  all  preached,  especially  Peter : 
"  With  many  other  words  did  he  testify  and 
exhort."  We  may  reasonably  suppose  they 
occupied  three  or  four  hours  in  their  public 
addresses.  It  would,  also,  take  some  time  for 
them  to  have  the  congregation  prepared  for 
baptism — such  as,  their  assent  to  certain  doc- 
trines and  facts,  proposed  to  them  as  the  rule 
of  their  faith  and  practice  ;  though  this  might 
be  done  en  masse,  by  raising  of  hands.  This, 
however,  would  take  some  time ;  and,  as  the 
Jewish  day  ended  at  6  o'clock,  P*  M.,  they 
would  only  have  from  three  to  five  hours  to 
baptize  three  thousand.  How  could  this  be 
done  by  immersion?  and,  especially,  when  not 
more  than  one  administered  the  rite  at  the 
same  time  and  place?  But  suppose  the  twelve 
were  engaged  in  baptizing  on  this  occasion, 
and  we  will  allow  there  were  five  hours  of 
time,  then  each  must  have  baptized  fifty  for 
each  hour — almost  one  for  every  minute  !  If 
they  were  four  hours  baptizing,  then  each  one 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  219 

must  have  baptized  sixty-two  every  hour — 
more  than  one  for  every  minute !  But  if  they 
were  only  three  hours  at  it,  then  each  one  must 
have  baptized  eighty-three  every  hour — about 
one  for  every  three-quarters  of  a  minute  !  We 
are  informed,  it  requires  a  man  in  good  health, 
and  of  strong  muscular  powers,  to  immerse 
forty  or  fifty  at  one  time,  and  it  would  require 
a  man  of  Herculean  abilities  to  immerse  eighty 
or  one  hundred  without  being  completely  pros- 
trated. Then,  is  it  probable  the  apostles  im- 
mersed three  thousand :  that  is,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  each,  at  one  time?  which,  probably, 
could  not  be  without  a  miracle.  The  Lord 
does  not  usually  carry  on  the  ordinary  opera- 
tions of  his  Church  by  his  miracle-working 
power.  The  probability  is  against  the  idea  of 
immersion  in  the  case ;  for  where  could  they 
be  accommodated  with  water?  They  say, 
"  The  pool  of  Siloam — the  pool  of  Bethesda, 
with  its  five  porches — the  brook  of  Kedron,  and 
the  brazen  seas  of  the  Temple." 

1.  The  pool  of  Siloam.  This  was  a  spring 
which  came  up  under  the  wall  near  the  gate  of 
he  sheep-market.  Dr.  Clarke  says,  its  waters 
were  collected  into  a  large  reservoir,  to  supply 


220  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

the  city  for  drinking  and  culinary  purposes. 
Admitting  there  was  a  sufficient  quantity  for 
immersion,  can  it  be  supposed  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem  would  have  permitted  them  to 
immerse  in  it  ? 

2.  The  pool  of  Bethesda.  It  is  stated  that 
an  angel  came  down  once  a  year  and  troubled 
the  waters,  and  the  first  diseased  man  that 
stepped  in  was  healed.  It  is  supposed  the 
blood  from  the  sacrifices  offered  at  the  Temple 
was  conveyed  to  this  pool,  and  from  this  it 
received  its  healing  qualities.  Let  this  be  as  it 
may,  it  was  connected  with  the  services  of  the 
Temple — with  the  brazen  seas,  which  were  all 
under  the  control  of  the  priests  and  Pharisees, 
who  were  inveterate  enemies  of  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  and,  doubtless,  would  not  have  con- 
sented to  such  a  use. 

3.  The  brook  of  Kedron.  This  is  a  small 
stream  which  passes  along  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  city,  which  is  dry  nearly  nine  months  of 
the  year.  There  may  be  a  considerable  cur- 
rent in  the  rainy  seasons.  However,  it  is  the 
sewer  of  the  city,  and  is  called  Kedar,  or  Ke- 
dron, (black.)  It  cannot  be  supposed  they 
immersed  in  it. 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  221 

They,  doubtless,  were  baptized  by  pouring, 
or  sprinkling.  1.  From  the  fact  that  the  apos- 
tles and  people  were  baptized  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  was  by  pouring.  The  reason- 
able inference  is,  that  the  apostles  baptized  the 
people  in  the  same  way  that  God  had  just 
baptized  them.  2.  As  Jerusalem  was  not  fur- 
nished with  rivers,  or  creeks,  and  as  there  is  no 
intimation  that  they  removed  from  the  place 
where  the  word  was  preached,  therefore,  the 
most  reasonable  conclusion  is,  they  were  bap- 
tized by  sprinkling,  or  pouring.  And  as  this 
is  the  first  time  Christian  baptism  was  admin- 
istered, if  immersion  were  to  be  the  only  mode, 
is  it  not  very  probable  something  would  be 
said  of  going  to  the  water,  and  of  a  change  of 
raiment,  so  necessary  when  immersion  is  prac- 
ticed ?  Look  at  the  accounts  of  revivals  by  the 
immersionists.  They  generally  say  something 
which  shows,  definitely,  that  they  practice 
immersion :  such  as,  "  Going  from  the  place 
of  worship  to  such  a  stream  of  water;""  "  the 
weather  ivas  very  fair ;"  "the  weather  was 
stormy;''''  "the  roads  muddy;"  "we  cut 
through  the  ice,  for  the  weather  was  very 
cold  ;"  "  the    crowds    that   assembled    on    the 


222  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

banks,"  &c.  These  expressions  show  that 
they  practice  immersion.  In  all  the  Scrip- 
tures there  is  not  a  single  expression  that  goes 
to  show  any  of  the  circumstances  to  which  we 
have  alluded.  You  will  bear  in  mind  that 
Philip  and  the  eunuch  were  traveling,  and 
Tame  to  water. 

The  baptism  of  Cornelius.  He  was  a  de- 
vout Gentile.  The  Lord,  in  answer  to  prayer, 
directed  him  to  send  to  Joppa  for  Peter,  at  the 
same  time  instructed  Peter  to  go  and  open  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  to  him  and  the  Gentile 
world.  And  when  he  had  preached  the  word 
unto  them,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  them,  as 
it  did  upon  the  Jews  at  the  beginning,  or  day 
of  Pentecost.  And  when  they  heard  them 
speak  with  tongues,  and  magnify  God,  then 
answered  Peter,  "  Can  any  man  forbid  water, 
that  these  should  not  be  baptized,  which  have 
received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we  ?  And 
he  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,"  Acts  x.  They  were  as- 
sembled in  the  house  of  Cornelius ;  and  when 
the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  them,  or  they  were  bap- 
tized with  it,  Peter  said,  "  Can  any  man  forbid 
water,  that  these  should  not  be  baptized."    The 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  223 

plain  understanding  of  the  above  is  this,  can 
any  man  forbid  water  from  being  brought  that 
these  should  not  be  baptized  ? 

To  make  it  clear  that  this  is  the  true  meaning 
of  the  above,  we  will  examine  the  word  trans- 
lated "forbid."  It  comes  from  the  verb  xwxw, 
to  check,  hinder,  stop,  stay,  delay;  to  impede, 
obstruct;  to  prohibit,  forbid.  (See  Grove's 
Greek  Lexicon.)  In  the  baptism  about  to  be 
performed,  the  people  and  water  must  come 
together.  The  people  must  either  go  to  the 
water,  which  they  would  do,  if  they  were  to 
be  immersed,  or  the  water  must  be  brought  to 
them,  which  would  be  done,  if  they  were  to 
be  sprinkled;  and  the  prohibition  would  neces- 
sarily be  of  the  moving  party.  If  they  were 
about  to  be  immersed,  the  people  would  have 
to  go  to  the  water.  Then,  the  apostle,  doubt- 
less, would  have  said,  "  Can  any  man  check, 
hinder,  stop,  stay,  delay,  impede,  obstruct, 
prohibit,  or  forbid  the  people  from  going  to 
the  water,  that  they  should  not  be  baptized?" 
But  this  was  said  of  the  water,  "  Can  any 
man  check,  hinder,  stop,  stay,  delay,  impede, 
obstruct,  prohibit,  or  forbid  wdierfrom  being 
brought,  that  these  should  not  be  baptized?" 


224  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

Therefore,  it  is  plain  water  was  to  be  brought 
to  the  people,  and  they  were  not  to  go  to  the 
water.  The  irresistible  conclusion,  if  preju- 
dice is  left  aside,  is,  the  above  case  of  baptism 
was  performed  in  the  house,  and  water  was 
brought  for  that  purpose  ;  therefore,  they  were 
aspersed. 

The  baptism,  of  Paul.  Paul  was  on  his 
way  to  Damascus,  when  a  light  shone  around 
him  above  the  brightness  of  the  sun,  which 
prostrated  him  to  the  ground.  Being  blind,  he 
was  led  into  the  city.  So  deep  and  pungent 
were  his  convictions,  that  he  could  not  eat, 
drink,  or  sleep.  In  this  debilitated  and  ex- 
hausted condition  Ananias  found  him.  He 
laid  his  hands  on  him,  and  said,  "  Brother 
Saul,  the  Lord  (even  Jesus  that  appeared  unto 
thee  in  the  way  as  thou  earnest)  hath  sent  me, 
that  thou  mightest  receive  thy  sight,  and  be 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  immediately 
there  fell  from  his  eyes  as  it  had  been  scales : 
and  he  received  sight  forthwith,  and  arose,  and 
was  baptized.  And  when  he  had  received 
meat,  he  was  strengthened,"  Acts  ix. 

The  natural  inference,  from  the  history  of 
the  case,  would  be,  that  Ananias  baptized  him 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  225 

in  the  house  of  Judas,  where  he  found  him ; 
and  immediately  meat  was  set  before  him 
This  view  of  the  subject  is  strengthened  by 
an  examination  of  the  Greek  text  of  "  arose" 
ai/cwtfas ;  this  is  the  second  aorist  participle  of 
ttvKj^i,  which  means  to  stand,  rise,  rise  up 
again.  The  literal  rendering  of  the  above  pass- 
age would  be,  "  and  (Paul)  having  stood  up, 
was  baptized,"  or,  standing  up,  was  bap- 
tized. For  instance,  "And  in  those  days  Pe- 
ter stood  up  (oi/acrtfaj)  in  the  midst  of  the  dis- 
ciples," Acts  i,  15.  Again:  "And  there  stood 
up  (avaatai)  one  of  them,  named  Agabus," 
Acts  xi,  28.  Again  :  "  Then  Paul  stood  up, 
(avatfras,)  and  beckoning  with  his  hand,  said, 
Men  of  Israel,  and  ye  that  fear  God,  give  audi- 
ence," Acts  xiii,  16.  The  active  participle 
made  use  of  here,  points  out  the  manner  of 
the  baptism  and  position  of  the  body,  which 
was  standing  up.  This  would  not  only  be  a 
house  baptism,  but  the  candidate  was  in  a 
standing  position  when  he  received  baptism. 
Paul  was  found  in  a  weakened  and  prostrated 
condition.  Ananias  laid  his  hands  upon  him, 
and  he  received  his  sight.  He  then  said  unto 
him,  "And  now  whv  tarriest  thou?  arise, 
15 


226  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

(avaatas,  stand  up,)  and  be  baptized,  and  wash 
away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the  name  of  the 
Lord."  He  then  arose,  or  stood  up,  either  on 
his  knees  or  feet,  and  in  that  position  was 
baptized. 

Permit  me  here  to  digress  for  a  moment. 
Mr.  Campbell  and  his  followers  put  great 
stress  in  support  of  their  theory  on  the  above 
passage.  They  wish  to  inculcate  the  idea, 
that  the  washing  away  of  sin  is  done  in  the 
act  of  baptizing;  but,  in  a  few  words,  we  will 
show  you  this  is  not  the  case.  "Why  tarriest 
thou?''''  is  one  idea;  "arise"  another;  "and 
be  baptized"  is  another;  "and  wash  away 
thy  sins"  is  another.  And  how  ?  By  "  call- 
ing on  the  name  of  the  Lord."  Peter  says, 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  "Whosoever  shall 
call  on  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved," 
(that  is,  shall  have  their  sins  washed  away,) 
Acts  ii,  21.  This  active  participle  clearly  de- 
fines the  manner.  For  instance,  cleanse  a 
house — sweeping  it,  or  ivashing  it ;  cleanse  a 
garment — brushing  it,  or  washing  it.  Ananias 
said  unto  him,  "Why  defer,  or  procrastinate? 
arise,  or  stand  up,  and  be  baptized;"  and  then 
he  was  to  wash  away  his  sins,  and  thus  defines 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  227 

the  manner:  by  "  calling  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord." 

The  baptism  of  the  jailer.  Paul  and  Silas 
had  been  in  a  very  providential  manner  direct- 
ed to  Philippi,  and  when  there  were  followed 
daily  by  a  damsel  possessed  of  an  evil  spirit, 
who  brought  her  masters  much  gain  by 
soothsaying.  She  said,  "These  men  are  the 
servants  of  the  most  high  God,  which  show 
unto  us  the  way  of  salvation."  This  was  a 
grief  to  them;  for  they  knew  the  Philippians- 
would  suppose  they  were,  also,  in  league  with 
the  devi],  if  they  were  introduced  and  recom- 
mended by  this  pythoness.  Paul  commanded 
the  evil  spirit  to  come  out  of  her;  and  when' 
her  masters  saw  the  source  of  their  gain  was 
gone,  they  caught  Paul  and  Silas,  and  brought 
them  before  the  magistrates,  who  commanded1 
them  to  be  beaten  ;  and  when  they  had  laid 
many  stripes  upon  them,  they  cast  them  into 
prison,  charging  the  jailer  to  keep  them  safely, 
who,  having  received  such  a  strict  charge, 
thrust  them  into  the  inner  prison,  and  made 
their  feet  fast  in  the  stocks.  And  at  midnight 
Paul  and  Silas  prayed,  and  sang  praises  to 
God.     And  suddenly  there  was  a  great  earth- 


228  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

quake,  and  the  foundations  of  the  prison  were 
shaken,  and  the  doors  were  opened.  The  jailer 
called  for  a  light  and  sprang  in,  and  brought 
them  out  of  the  inner  prison,  or  dungeon,  into 
the  outer  prison.  Being  satisfied  it  was  of  the 
power  of  God,  he  cried  out,  "  Sirs,  what  must 
I  do  to  be  saved  ?"  And  they  said,  "Believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  they  spake 
unto  him  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  to  all  that 
were  in  his  house.  The  jailer  took  them  the 
same  hour  of  the  night,  and  washed  their 
stripes,  and  was  baptized,  he  and  all  his, 
straightway.  And  when  he  had  brought  them 
into  his  own  house,  he  set  meat  before  them, 
and  rejoiced,  believing  in  God  with  all  .his 
house,"  Acts  xvi. 

This  appears  to  be  another  case  of  house 
baptism.  Doubtless,  the  place  where  the  word 
was  preached  was  the  place  where  their  stripes 
were  washed,  and  where  they  were  baptized. 
This  was  in  the  outer  prison.  The  jailer  first 
put  them  here;  but  afterwards,  having  received 
strict  orders,  thrust  them  into  the  inner  pris- 
on; and,  after  the  earthquake,  he  called  for  a 
light,  and  sprang  in,  and  tremblingly  fell  down 
before  Paul  and   Silas,  and  brought  them  out 


TREATISE    OX    BAPTISM  229 

from  the  inner  into  the  outer  prison.  This  was 
the  place  of  preaching,  washing  of  stripes,  and 
of  baptizing.  Doubtless,  the  apostle  took  a  lit- 
tle of  the  water  which  was  left  from  washing  of 
their  stripes,  or,  it  may  be,  some  was  brought 
especially  for  the  purpose  of  baptizing,  and 
sprinkled  the  jailer  and  all  his  little  ones. 
And  then  the  jailer  brought  them  into  his  own 
house,  or  that  department  where  his  family 
resided,  which  was  under  the  same  roof  with 
the  prison,  and  set  meat  before  them,  and 
rejoiced  with  his  family.  But  our  opponents 
even  try  to  make  a  case  of  immersion  out  of 
this!  They  say,  "The  jailer  brought  them 
out  of  the  prison,  and  went  away  to  a  river 
about  a  mile  distant,  and  there  the  apostle  im- 
mersed him  and  all  his."  Those  who  contend 
for  the  above  position,  say,  the  jailer  brought 
them  out  of  the  prison  for  the  purpose  of  going 
to  the  river  to  be  baptized ;  and  when  they 
came  back,  he  brought  them  into  his  own 
house,  which  was  separated  from  the  prison, 
and  then  set  meat  before  them.  But  this 
shows  what  even  good  men  will  do,  through 
prejudice,  and  a  determination  to  support  a 
favorite   theory.     The  jailer  (a  heathen)   did 


230  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

not  know  any  thing  about  Christian  baptism, 
much  less  desired  it,  before  Paul  explained 
it  to  him  in  preaching  the  word.  After 
preaching  they  were  baptized.  But  the  first 
thing  that  was  done  after  the  jailer  sprang  in 
with  a  light,  teas  to  bring  them  out  from  the 
inner  prison  to  the  outer.  This  could  not 
have  been  for  the  purpose  of  going  away  to 
be  baptized  ;  for  at  this  time  he  knew  nothing 
about  it,  for  it  was  before  the  preaching  of  the 
word.  But  our  opponents  wish  to  make  the 
impression  that  the  jailer  brought  them  out  for 
that  purpose,  but  this  is  a  great  mistake.  1. 
The  jailer  called  for  a  light,  and  sprang  in.  2. 
He  brought  them  out  of  the  inner  prison,  where 
they  were  thrusted,  into  the  outer.  3.  Then 
and  there  the  word  was  preached  unto  all  that 
were  in  his  house,  and  the  jailer  and  all  his 
were  baptized.  4.  Then  he  brought  them 
into  his  own  house,  and  set  meat  before  them, 
and  rejoiced  with  his  family.  Dr.  Clarke 
says,  "And,  by  the  way,  if  he  and  all  his  were 
baptized  straightway,  Ttapaxpqiia,  immediately, 
instantly,  at  that  very  time,  dum  ipsa  res 
agitur,  it  is  by  no  means  likely  that  there  was 
any  immersion  in  the  case.     Indeed,  all  the 


TREATISE    OX    BAPTISM.  231 

circumstances  of  the  case — the  dead  of  the  night, 
the  general  agitation,  the  necessity  of  dispatch, 
and  the  words  of  the  text,  all  disprove  it.  It 
is,  therefore,  pretty  evident,  that  we  have  in 
this  chapter  very  presumptive  proofs,  that  bap- 
tism was  administered  without  immersion,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  jailer  and  his  family."  (See 
Dr.  Clarke's  notes  on  Aets  xvi,  33.) 

The  jailer  was  a  sworn  officer;  and  if  he 
had  permitted  Paul  and  Silas  to  go  out  without 
authority,  he  would  have  violated  his  oath ; 
and  instead  of  standing  before  them  as  an 
acceptable  candidate  for  baptism,  he  would 
have  stood  before  them  a  perjured  man  !  Not 
only  that,  but,  if  found  out,  ii  would  have  cost 
him  his  life  !  Such  was  the  rigor  of  the  Roman 
law,  that  a  jailer  was  held  responsible  for  the 
prisoners  put  in  his  custody.  If  they  escaped, 
whether  accessory  thereto  or  not,  he  was  gen- 
erally punished  with  death.  For  instance  : 
the  Lord  miraculously  delivered  Peter  from 
prison  in  Jerusalem  ;  "  and  when  Herod  had 
sought  for  him  and  found  him  not,  he  ex- 
amined the  keepers,  [of  the  prison,]  and  com- 
manded that  they  should  be  put  to  death." 
The  jailer  knowing  this  to  be  the  case,  when 


232  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

he  awoke  and  saw  the  prison  doors  open,  sup- 
posing, as  a  matter  of  course,  the  prisoners 
had  escaped,  he  was  about  to  fall  upon  his  own 
sword ;  as  it  was  a  virtue  among  the  heathen 
to  fall  by  one's  own  hand,  when  death  was 
inevitable.  But  his  bed-chamber  was  so  close 
to  the  doors  of  the  prison,  that  by  the  light  that 
enabled  him  to  see  that  the  prison  doors  were 
opened,  Paul  saw  what  he  was  about  to  do, 
and  he  cried  out,  "  Do  thyself  no  harm,  for  we 
are  all  here." 

Being  night,  our  opponents  suppose  "  the 
jailer  and  his  family  might  have  gone  out  to 
the  river,  and  back  again,  without  much  fear 
of  detection."  This  could  not  be.  We  are 
informed  that  there  was  a  great  earthquake — 
that  the  foundations  of  the  prison  were  shaken ! 
And  what  are  the  natural  consequences  of  a 
great  earthquake  ?  Houses  falling  down,  peo- 
ple rushing  from  them  into  the  streets  or  open 
air,  as  their  only  refuge  !  The  hour  the  jailer 
was  baptized,  was  not  an  hour  of  quietness  and 
repose  to  the  inhabitants  of  Philippi,  but  a  time 
of  great  alarm  and  agitation.  Can  it  be  sup- 
posed, under  all  these  circumstances,  that  the 
jailer  would  have  gone,  or  could  go  with  the 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  233 

prisoners  and  his  family  to  the  river,  and  back 
again,  without  detection  ?  And  where,  or  what 
was  the  motive,  (without  which  man  will  not 
act,)  to  go  out  at  midnight's  hour,  at  so  great 
a  hazard  as  that  of  his  life?  And  for  aught 
we  see  in  the  nature  or  obligation  of  baptism, 
he  might  have  deferred  it  until  next  morning, 
or  next  week.  And  to  make  this  still  more 
certain,  the  next  morning  the  magistrates  sent 
word,  privately,  to  let  Paul  and  Silas  go. 
"But  Paul  said  unto  them,  They  have  beaten 
us  openly,  uncondemned,  being  Romans,  and 
have  cast  us  into  prison ;  and  now  do  they 
thrust  us  out  privily?  Nay,  verily;  but  let 
them  come  themselves  and  fetch  us  out;" 
showing,  clearly,  they  had  not  been  out  the 
night  before,  or  else  Paul  dissembled. 

Our  opponents,  being  pressed  with  this  view 
of  the  subject,  say,  "Philippi  is  situated  in  a 
tropical  climate,  and  it  is  customary,  in  coun- 
tries scorched  with  the  suns  of  the  torrid  zone, 
to  furnish  their  prisons  with  baths,  for  the 
health  and  comfort  of  their  prisoners,  and  in 
one  of  those  baths  Paul  immersed  the  jailer 
and  his  family."  This,  indeed,  develops  the 
hopelessness  of  their  cause.     Philippi  is  situ- 


234  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

ated  not  far  from  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
iEgean  Sea;  about  forty-one  degrees  north 
latitude,  which  would  throw  it  as  far  north  as 
northern  Ohio.  Surely  the  perpetual  "  scorch- 
ing suns  of  the  torrid  zone'''  are  not  experi- 
enced on  Lake  Erie's  bleak  shores !  Thus  we 
see  the  subterfuge  of  our  Baptist  brethren,  to 
make  immersion  in  any  wise  agree  with  Bible 
teaching  or  apostolic  practice. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

Immersion  impracticable  under  many  circumstances- 
Congregation  going  to  the  water — A  change  of  clothing — 
Immersion  compared  to  a  bank  bill. 

We  now  urge  another  objection  to  immersion 
as  being  the  mode  of  baptism.  It  cannot  be 
practiced  at  all  times,  under  all  circumstances, 
and  in  all  countries.  The  Savior  would, 
doubtless,  appoint  that  mode  of  baptism  which 
could  be  administered  under  all  conditions  and 
circumstances  of  human  existence.  But  im- 
mersion cannot  be  administered  at  all  times, 
and  under  all  circumstances ;  therefore,  it 
strongly  argues,  the  Savior  never  appointed 
immersion  to  be  practiced  universally,  as  the 
mode  of  baptism. 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  235 

To  show  you  that  it  cannot  be  practiced  at 
all  times,  women,  from  one-fourth  to  one- 
eighth  of  their  time,  embracing  a  period  of 
nearly  thirty  years  of  their  lives,  though  enjoy- 
ing good  health,  cannot  be  immersed  in  cold 
water  without  imminent  danger  to  their  health 
and  life.  Then,  if  immersion  is  the  mode  of 
baptism,  women  cannot  obey  a  plain  command- 
ment for  nearly  one-fourth  of  the  time  of  the 
above  period,  though  by  faith  and  repentance 
they  are  proper  subjects. 

Immersion  cannot  be  practiced  under  all 
circumstances.  Men  and  women  have,  and 
doubtless  will,  too  frequently  put  off  the  con- 
cerns of  religion,  and  the  momentous  interests 
of  their  deathless  spirits,  to  the  last  period  of 
their  existence;  and  when  lying  on  a  dying 
bed,  they  see  and  realize  their  past  folly,  and 
wake  up  to  a  due  concern  for  themselves  and 
repent  of  their  sins,  (and,  doubtless,  in  many 
cases,  find  pardon  to  their  souls,)  many  will 
desire  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper.  Well, 
on  the  Baptist  theory,  they  could  not  be  bap- 
tized without  instantly  destroying  life  in  some 
cases !  Here,  then,  the  poor  penitent,  for- 
given, and  dying  sinner,  must  be  denied  the 


236  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

comforts  of  those  holy  sacraments  when  they 
most  need  them.  In  this  situation,  thousands 
have  had  their  souls  comforted  and  strength- 
ened;  which  cannot  take  place  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Baptist  Churches.  Let  a 
minister  of  the  regular  Baptist  Church  sit  down 
at  the  bedside  of  a  forgiven  and  dying  sinner, 
and  he  will  say,  "  0  brother,  or  sister,  you 
can  get  to  heaven  without  baptism  or  the 
Lord's  supper — you  feel  the  pardon  of  your 
sins — that  is  enough!"  But,  let  him  sit  down 
by  a  person  in  health — say,  a  rich  merchant, 
or  farmer,  and  he  will  say  to  him,  "  O  how 
important  it  is  that  you  should  be  baptized! 
You  should  follow  your  Savior's  footsteps 
down  the  banks  of  Jordan,  and  be  buried  with 
Christ  by  baptism,  that  you  may  arise  from 
the  Savior's  watery  grave  to  newness  of  life. 
To  get  to  the  good  world,  you  must  imme- 
diately go  forward  in  baptism,  and  there  is  no 
baptism  without  immersion."  Well,  how  is 
this  difference  of  ministry  to  be  reconciled? 
Why,  in  the  first  place,  their  system  could  not 
be  carried  out  without  destroying  life ;  there- 
fore, they  propose,  or  prefer  to  let  them  die 
without  baptism ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  a 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  237 

proselyte  is  to  be  made :  therefore,  the  whole 
theory  and  practice  of  immersion  must  be 
brought  into  requisition,  and  put  in  operation. 

Our  Campbellite  friends  act  more  consist- 
ently, in  cases  of  sickness,  when  it  is  impracti- 
cable to  immerse  in  cold  water.  They  dig  out, 
or  nail  up  troughs,  and  warm  the  water,  and 
then  immerse  the  candidate.  Yet  they  say 
they  take  the  Scripture  just  as  it  reads  for 
their  practice.  And,  indeed,  we  have  known 
a  number  of  instances  where  both  the  adminis- 
trators and  candidates  have  been  violently 
attacked  with  disease  by  practicing  baptism  by 
immersion.     Names  could  be  given,  if  required. 

Once  on  the  Sabbath,  I  was  preaching  at 
a    quarterly    meeting    on    baptism,    and    said, 

"  Mr. ,  the  Baptist  minister  of  this  place, 

by  his  first  essay  in  the  water,  being  young, 
and  not  accustomed  to  it,  and  not  having  re- 
ceived his  *  gum-elastics '  on  from  the  east, 
was  violently  attacked  with  disease."  He, 
being  present,  arose  and  said,  "I  was  sick 
before  I  went  into  the  water."  We  said  his 
attending  physician  told  us,  it  was  caused  by 
going  into  the  water;  and  he  advised  him  to 
keep  out  of  the  water.     A  Baptist  clergyman 


238  TREATISE    ON    EAPTIS31. 

from ,  being  present,  said,   "The  advice 

was  correct ;  for  it  would  make  the  admin- 
istrator sick,  but  not  the  candidate."  If  the 
Lord  has  ordered  immersion  to  be  the  mode  of 
baptism,  is  it  not  a  great  pity  he  did  not  order 
that  the  health  of  the  administrator  should  be 
preserved  as  well  as  that  of  the  candidate! 

There  are  now  thousands  of  aged  and  in- 
firm ministers,  though  very  useful,  who,  if 
revivals  should  break  out  in  their  charges,  could 
not  administer  baptism  by  immersion  with- 
out jeopardizing  their  useful  lives;  and,  of 
course,  it  must  be  delayed  until  some  ro- 
bust, healthy,  young  administrator  can  be  pro- 
cured. But  the  modern  practice  will,  in  a 
great  measure,  obviate  this  difficulty.  Admin- 
istrators, I  have  been  informed,  generally  use 
gum-elastic  drawers,  or  "  baptisteries  " — a 
garment  worn  under  their  clothes,  which  keeps 
out  the  water.  This  shows  that  they  consider 
they  cannot  go  at  all  times  in  the  water  to 
administer  baptism  without  jeopardizing  their 
health ;  or,  that  they  must  consider  the  practice 
of  baptizing  by  immersion  in  cold  water  a  hard 
and  disagreeable  work.  The  Savior  says, 
"My  yoke  is  easy  and  my  burden  is  light." 


TREATISE    OX    BAPTISM.  239 

How  can  immersion  be  practiced  in  all 
countries?  In  some  countries  there  are  ex- 
tensive sandy  deserts  and  plains,  where  there 
is  no  running  water  for  hundreds  of  miles ; 
men  and  women  live  there,  who  procure  their 
water  by  digging,  sometimes  to  a  great  depth, 
or  by  traveling  to  an  immense  distance  for  it. 
We  will  now  suppose  a  revival  to  break  out 
there — how  could  they  be  immersed  with- 
out great  labor  and  inconvenience  ?  Artificial 
means  must  be  resorted  to  ;  troughs,  or  baptis- 
tories  must  be  made,  and  water  must  be  pro- 
cured for  that  purpose,  when,  at  the  same  time, 
it  is  with  the  greatest  difficulty  a  sufficiency 
for  drinking  and  cooking  can  be  obtained. 

In  other  countries,  toward  the  poles,  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  water  is  nearly  as 
solid  as  the  mountain  rock  itself.  From  the 
rigor  of  the  climate,  people  generally  live  in 
caves,  or  dens,  in  the  rocks.  How  can  bap- 
tism by  immersion  be  practiced  there?  Meet- 
ing-houses must  be  erected  there,  the  Gospel 
preached,  and  the  sacraments  of  the  house  of 
the  Lord  duly  administered,  before  the  millen- 
nium will  take  place. 

Even  in  our  own  country,  though  we  live 


240  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

in  a  temperate  zone,  for  some  three  or  four 
months  in  the  year  our  streams  are  frozen  up. 
If  immersion  is  the  mode  of  baptism,  then 
those  streams  must  be  cut  open,  and  the  can- 
didate, whether  robust  or  delicate,  must  submit 
to  the  harsh  and  dangerous  enterprise  of  going 
down  into  the  water  until  it  shall  be  of  suffi- 
cient depth,  and  then  be  plunged  under  its 
surface ;  and  from  their  trembling,  sobbing, 
sighing,  and  catching  of  their  breath,  we 
should  think,  in  the  general,  it  would  produce 
any  other  state  of  feeling  than  that  of  solemn 
devotion.  Many  times,  the  stream,  or  baptis- 
mal scene,  is  some  distance  from  any  house 
where  the  candidates  could  go  and  change  their 
clothes ;  and  by  the  time  they  arrive  at  the 
place  where  this  could  be  done,  not  unfre- 
quently  their  clothes  have  been  frozen  stiff 
upon  them.  Can  it  be  supposed,  when  the 
Savior  said,  "My  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  bur- 
den is  light,"  he  ordained  and  appointed  all 
this  ?  We  believe,  wherever  the  Gospel  is 
preached,  there  the  ordinances  of  the  house  of 
the  Lord  can  be  administered,  whether  on  the 
plains  of  India,  or  the  deserts  of  Africa,  or 
amidst   snow-capt    mountains    and    ice-bound 


9  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  241 

streams,  or  at  midnight's  solemn  hour  in  some 
cruel  prison,  or  on  the  bed  of  death. 

If  immersion  were  practiced  by  the  apostles, 
doubtless,  there  would  be  something  said  about 
the  congregation  removing  from  the  place  of 
preaching  to  the  stream,  or  water;  but  in  all 
the  history  of  the  doings  and  acts  of  the  apos- 
tles, there  is  not  a  word  said  about  going  from 
the  place  of  preaching  to  water  for  the  purpose 
of  baptism.  Take  up  the  periodicals  of  the 
Baptist  Churches,  and  in  their  descriptions  of 
their  revival  operations  you  will  see  it  fre- 
quently stated,  "  The  congregation  repaired  to 
such  a  stream,  though  the  day  was  inclem- 
ent— it  rained,  snowed,  or  the  road  was  mud- 
dy" &c.  Then,  there  were  so  many  "  bap- 
tized, immersed,  or  were  buried  in  immersion, 
and  arose  from  the  Savior's  watery  grave,"  &c. 
Thus  leaving  no  doubt  on  the  mind  that  they 
baptized  by  immersion.  Can  it  be  conceived 
that  our  Baptist  friends  can  set  forth  facts  in  a 
clearer  light  than  the  apostles — men  writing 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Then, 
if  the  apostles  practiced  immersion,  it  would 
be  expected  they  would  at  least  be  equally 
clear  in  setting  forth  those  circumstances  and 
16 


242  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

facts  so  necessary  to  immersion — such  as,  the 
congregation  going  from  the  place  where  they 
were  prepared  for  baptism,  by  the  preaching  of 
the  word,  to  the  water,  and  the  changing  of 
clothing,  &c.  On  all  these  points  the  Scrip- 
ture is  entirely  silent ;  and  is  it  not  a  reason- 
able expectation  that  something  should  be  said 
in  reference  to  clothing?  for,  if  they  were  im- 
mersed, except  a  change  were  provided,  their 
wet  clothes  must  remain  on  them.  This 
would  be  a  matter  of  great  inconvenience,  if  it 
would  not,  in  some  cases,  produce  disease  and 
death.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  the  apostles 
would  recommend  a  change,  if  it  could  be 
procured  conveniently,  or,  at  least,  something 
would  be  said  on  the  subject — either  there  was 
no  danger  in  remaining  in  their  wet  clothes, 
or  they  had  better  procure  a  change.  The 
apostles  have  been  particular  in  reference  to 
clothing  in  other  cases :  for  instance,  when  the 
Savior  was  about  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet, 
"He  riseth  from  supper,  and  laid  aside  his 
garments ;  and  took  a  towel,  and  girded  him- 
self," John  xiii,  4.  Again  :  the  witnesses  that 
stoned  Stephen  "  laid  down  their  clothes  at  a 
young   man's    feet,  whose  name  was   Saul,'9 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  243 

Acts  vii,  58.  It  must  be  supposed,  if  the 
apostles  immersed,  something  would  be  said 
about  going  to  the  water,  and  a  change  of 
raiment. 

Our  opponents  say,  "We  practice  the  mode 
of  baptism  admitted  by  all  to  be  valid  baptism ; 
and  would  it  not  be  the  best  for  all  to  be  im- 
mersed, as  all  agree  it  is  valid  baptism,  and  as 
many  believe  pouring  and  sprinkling  not  to 
be  baptism  ?"  They  then  go  on  and  compare 
immersion  to  a  bank  bill,  and  say,  "Would 
you  not  rather  take  a  bank  bill,  though  it  may 
look  a  little  soiled  and  worn,  which  all  the 
people  say  is  good,  than  to  take  one  that  looks 
prettier,  of  which  some  have  doubts  as  to  its 
genuineness  ?" 

In  reference  to  the  fact  that  all  agree  that 
immersion  is  valid  baptism,  we  say  we  believe 
the  apostolic  and  Scriptural  mode  of  baptism 
to  be  by  affusion.  But  to  satisfy  the  con- 
science of  a  person  who  desires  the  whole  body 
to  be  wet,  we  suppose  the  superabundance  of 
water  will  not  destroy  the  validity  of  the  rite— 
the  Lord  taking  the  will  for  the  deed.  In  this 
way  we  agree  that  immersion  may  be,  or  is  bap- 
tism.    But  if  the  position  taken  by  our  oppo- 


244  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

nents  be  true,  which  is,  that  "no  baptism  is 
legal  which  is  not  performed  in  the  way  and 
manner  that  the  apostles  baptized,1'  then  we 
contend  that  immersion  is  not  legal  baptism,  and 
the  whole  Baptist  Churches  are  without  valid 
baptism,  even  from  their  commencement  until 
the  present  time,  and  none  of  their  members 
are  baptized,  except  the  few  that  were  sprink- 
led before  they  united  with  them;  and  even 
in  their  case,  it  is  doubtful  whether  they 
now  can  be  called  baptized  persons,  as  they 
have  repudiated  the  apostolic  form  of  baptism, 
and  have  embraced  man's  improvement  on 
baptism,  as  we  humbly  conceive.  And  as  to 
the  "bank  bill"  the  people  are  willing  to  re- 
ceive it,  as  genuine,  though  it  may  have  the 
marks  of  being  a  good  while  in  circulation. 
But,  suppose  we  take  that  same  old  popular 
bill  to  the  bank,  and  let  the  cashier  condemn 
it,  and  put  his  mark  of  infamy  upon  it,  who 
would  wish  to  take  it?  Well,  take  the  old 
popular  bill,  "immersion ,"  to  the  "bank" — 
the  Bible — there  it  will  be  instantly  con- 
demned. That  word  which  is  so  precious  to 
many,  namely,  immersion,  is  not  found  among 
the  precious  coin  of  this  bank ;  neither  has  it 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  245 

any  coin  that  can  be  converted  into  it,  when 
speaking  of  the  mode  of  Christian  baptism. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven  and  in  the  earth, 
1  John  v,  7,  8— Westminster  Assembly. 

"For  there  are  three  that  bear  record  in 
heaven,  the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy- 
Ghost:  and  these  three  are  one.  And  there 
are  three  that  bear  witness  in  earth,  the  Spirit, 
and  the  water,  and  the  blood :  and  these  three 
agree  in  one." 

1.  The  witness  or  the  Spirit.  "Behold, 
I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  unto  you,"  Prov.  i, 
23 ;  "I  will  pour  on  the  house  of  David  the 
Spirit  of  grace,"  Zech.  xii,  10 ;  "  He  shall 
come  down  like  rain  upon  the  mown  grass : 
as  showers  that  water  the  earth,"  Ps.  lxxii,  6; 
"  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and 
my  blessing  upon  thine  offspring,"  Isa.  xliv, 
3 ;  "  Then  it  shall  come  to  pass  I  will  pour 
out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,"  Joel  ii;  "His 
going  forth  is  prepared  as  the  morning;  and 
he  shall  come  unto  us  as  the  rain,  as  the  latter 
and  former  rain  unto  the  earth,"  Hos.  vi,  3. 


246  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

The  New  Testament  agrees  with  the  above : 
"And  being  assembled  together  with  them, 
commanded  them  that  they  should  not  depart 
from  Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the  promise  of 
the  Father,  which,  saith  he,  ye  have  heard  of 
me.  For  John  truly  baptized  with  water ;  but 
ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost. 
*  *  *  But  ye  shall  receive  power  after  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you,"  Acts  i,, 
4-8.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  the  Spirit  was 
poured  out  upon  them.  Peter  says,  "  Hath 
shed  forth  this  ye  now  hear  and  see."  At  the 
house  of  Cornelius,  "  The  Holy  Ghost  fell 
upon  all  them  that  heard."  Peter,  in  rehears- 
ing the  matter,  says,  "  The  Holy  Ghost  fell 
on  them  as  on  us  at  the  beginning." 

2.  The  witness  of  the  water.  "I  will 
pour  water  on  him  that  is  thirsty  ;"  "  So  shall 
he  sprinkle  many  nations,"  Isa.  lii,  15  ;  "  Then 
will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you  and  ye 
shall  be  clean.  *  *  *  I  will  put  my  Spirit 
within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my 
statutes,"  Ezek.  xxxvi,  25,  27;  "Christ  also 
loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself  for  it;  that 
he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the  wash- 
ing of  water  by  the  word,"  Eph.  v,  25,  26 ; 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  247 

"  But  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the 
washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  Titus  iii,  5 ;  "  Having  our  hearts 
sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience,  and  our 
bodies  washed  with  pure  water,"  Heb.  x,  22 ; 
"  My  doctrine  shall  drop  as  the  rain,  my  speech 
shall  distill  as  the  dew,  as  the  small  rain  upon 
the  tender  herb,  and  as  the  showers  upon  the 
grass,"  Deut.  xxxii,  2;  "Sprinkle  the  water 
of  purification  upon  him,"  Num.  xix.  The 
Levites  were  all  consecrated  by  sprinkling. 
(See  Num.  viii.)  John  says,  "  I  indeed  bap- 
tize you  with  water." 

3.  The  witness  of  the  blood.  The  blood 
of  the passover. — "And  ye  shall  take  a  bunch 
of  hyssop,  and  dip  it  in  the  blood  that  is  in  the 
basin,  and  strike  the  lintel  and  the  two  side- 
posts  with  the  blood  that  is  in  the  basin,"  Ex. 
xii,  22;  "Through  faith  he  [Moses]  kept  the 
passover,  and  the  sprinkling  of  blood,"  Heb. 
xi,  28 ;  Moses  "  sprinkled  both  the  book  and 
all  the  people,  saying,  This  is  the  blood  of  the 
testament  which  God  hath  enjoined  unto  you. 
Moreover,  he  sprinkled  likewise  with  blood 
both  the  tabernacle,  and  all  the  vessels  of  the 
ministry,"  Heb.  ix,  19-21.     Blood  of  atone- 


248  TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM. 

merit. — "  And  he  shall  take  of  the  blood  of  the 
bullock,  and  sprinkle  it  with  his  finger  upon  the 
mercy-seat  eastward :  and  before  the  mercy-seat 
shall  he  sprinkle  of  the  blood  with  his  finger 
seven  times,"  Lev.  xvi,  14.  Blood  of  Christ. — 
"  And  to  Jesus  the  mediator  of  the  new  cove- 
nant, and  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling"  Heb. 
xii,  24;  "Elect  *  *  *  through  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and  sprink- 
ling of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,"  1  Pet.  i,  2. 

These  three,  the  Spirit,  water,  and  the 
blood,  agree  in  one  fact:  namely ■,  purification  ; 
and  one  mode,  which  is  sprinkling,  or  pouring. 

Our  opponents  say,  "  Baptism  by  sprink- 
ling is  of  recent  date :  it  was  only  introduced 
by  the  Westminster  Assembly,  by  the  casting 
vote  of  Dr.  Lightfoot ;  and  if  it  had  not  been 
thus  introduced,  all  would  be  now  practicing 
immersion."  The  remarks  of  Dr.  Miller  are 
to  the  point.  (See  his  work  on  Baptism.) 
"  It  has  been  sometimes  ignorantly,  and  most 
erroneously  asserted,  that  the  Westminster  As- 
sembly of  divines,  in  putting  to  vote  whether 
baptism  should  be  performed  by  sprinkling  or 
immersion,  carried  it  in  favor  of  sprinkling  by 
a  majority  of  one  only.     This  is  wholly  incor- 


TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM.  249 

rect.  The  facts  were  these.  When  the  com- 
mittee who  had  been  charged  with  preparing 
a  '  Directory  for  the  worship  of  God '  brought 
in  their  report,  they  had  spoken  of  the  mode  of 
baptism  thus :  «  It  is  laivful  and  sufficient  to 
sprinkle  a  child.'  To  this,  Dr  Lightfoot, 
among  others,  objected  ;  not  because  he  doubted 
of  the  entire  sufficiency  of  sprinkling ;  for  he 
decidedly  preferred  sprinkling  to  immersion ; 
but  because  he  thought  there  was  an  impro- 
priety in  pronouncing  that  mode  lawful  only, 
when  no  one  present  had  any  doubts  of  its 
being  so,  and  when  almost  all  preferred  it. 
Others  seemed  to  think,  that  by  saying  noth- 
ing about  dipping,  that  mode  was  meant  to  be 
excluded  as  not  a  lawful  mode.  This  they 
did  not  wish  to  pronounce.  When,  therefore, 
the  clause,  as  originally  reported,  was  put  to 
vote,  there  was  twenty-five  voted  in  favor  of  it, 
and  twenty-four  against  it. 

"After  this  vote,  a  motion  was  made  and 
carried  that  it  be  recommitted. 

"  The  next  day,  when  the  committee  re- 
ported, and  when  some  of  the  members  still 
seemed  unwilling  to  exclude  all  mention  of  dip- 
ping, Dr.  Lightfoot  remarked,  that  to  say  that 


250  TREATISE    ON   BAPTISM. 

pouring,  or  sprinkling  was  lawful,  would  be 
'all  one  as  saying  that  it  was  lawful  to  use 
bread  and  wine  in  the  Lord's  supper;'  he, 
therefore,  moved  that  the  clause  in  the  '  Direc- 
tory '  respecting  the  mode  of  baptism  be  ex- 
pressed thus  :  '  Then  the  minister  is  to  de- 
mand the  name  of  tha  child,  which,  being  told 
him,  he  is  to  say,  (calling  the  child  by  his 
name,)  "  /  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  As  he  pronounceth  these  words,  he 
is  to  baptize  the  child  with  water,  which,  for  the 
manner  of  doing  it,  is  not  only  lawful,  but 
sufficient,  and  most  expedient  to  be,  by  pour- 
ing or  sprinkling  of  the  water  on  the  face  of 
the  child,  without  adding  any  other  cere- 
mony.' This  was  carried.  (See  Lightfoot's 
Life,  prefixed  to  the  first  volume  of  his  Works, 
folio  edition,  p.  4,  compared  with  Neal's  His- 
tory of  the  Puritans,  vol.  ii,  pp.  106,  107, 
compared  with  the  Appendix,  No.  II,  quarto 
edition,  where  the  ■  Directory,'  as  finally 
passed,  is  given  at  full  length.) 

"We  do  not  learn  precisely,  either  from 
Lightfoot's  biographer,  (who  was  no  other  than 
the  indefatigable  Strype,)  or  from  Neal,  by  what 


TREATISE    ON    BAPTISM.  251 

vote  the  clause,  as  moved  by  Lightfoot,  was 
finally  adopted,  but  Neal  expressly  tells  us 
that  '  the  Directory  passed  the  Assembly  with 
great  unanimity.' 

"  From  this  statement,  it  is  evident  that  the 
question  which  was  carried  in  the  Assembly 
by  a  majority  of  one,  was  not  whether  affusion 
or  sprinkling  was  a  lawful  mode  of  baptism, 
but  whether  all  mention  of  dipping,  as  one  of 
the  lawful  modes,  should  be  omitted.  This, 
in  an  early  stage  of  the  discussion,  was  carried 
by  a  majority  of  one  in  the  affirmative.  But  it 
would  seem  that  the  clause,  as  finally  adopted, 
which  certainly  was  far  more  decisive  in  favor 
of  sprinkling,  or  affusion,  was  passed  *  with 
great  unanimity.'  At  any  rate,  nothing  can 
be  more  evident  than  that  the  clause,  as  it 
originally  stood,  being  carried  by  one  vote 
only,  and  afterwards,  when  recommitted,  and 
so  altered  as  to  be  much  stronger  in  favor  of 
sprinkling,  and  then  adopted  without  difficulty, 
the  common  statement  of  this  matter  by  our 
Baptist  brethren  is  an  evident  misrepresen- 
tation." 


\f 


